The annual La Prairie Lioness Celebrity Auction takes place tomorrow night at the Canadinns in Portage. Organizer Heather Graham says over the last seventeen years this event has raised close to one hundred and seventy thousand dollars for Central Plains Cancer Services, noting the community always comes out to support a great cause. Graham says we're very lucky to have this service here because everyone has been touched by cancer in some way and everybody needs support to get to the other side of their cancer journey. She notes that's a big part of the success of the Lioness Celebrity Auction, because people have walked that walk and they want to help others do the same.

Graham adds the club wouldn't be able to hold this event every year without the support of local businesses and the folks who give so generously of their time, money and energy. She says there are no ticket sales and no admission cost for the auction, so they never know ahead of time if they're going to have a full house but they've never yet been disappointed. Graham notes sometimes when you're talking about a loved one's cancer care journey it's not a happy story, but hopefully there is a happy ending. She adds they want to make the auction a fun night for folks while they help raise funds for a very serious cause. The La Prairie Lioness Celebrity Auction begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and everyone is welcome.