By Ann Spivak, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Jul. 20–T wo powerful men in Kansas City who lost their fathers to cancer are joining forces to make September’s seventh annual Treads & Threads fundraiser the most profitable one to date.
Clark Hunt, chairman of the board of the Kansas City Chiefs, and his wife, Tavia, will serve as honorary chairpersons of the benefit for the cancer program at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Greg Graves, CEO of Burns & McDonnell — one of the nation’s leading engineering firms — along with his wife, Deanna, will chair the Sept. 5 benefit on the infield of the Kansas Speedway.
Both Hunt and Graves lost their fathers, Lamar Hunt and Joe Graves, to cancer in recent years.
“Clark lost his dad in a very public way, and my dad died in a very private way, but that doesn’t matter, because, to us, they were our dads,” Graves says. “When KU asked Deanna and I to chair Treads & Threads, it became our responsibility to pick the honorary chair, and I knew immediately who I wanted to ask. Halfway through our meeting, Clark said yes.”
Hunt says the fight against cancer is a cause he and his wife wholeheartedly support.
“We’re honored to have the chance to help Greg and this event attain their goals,” Hunt says. “And we know what a fantastic party it’s going to be.”
This year’s featured entertainer will be country music star Trisha Yearwood. After her performance, the Emerald City Band from Dallas will perform late into the night, followed by a fireworks display. Twenty-three of the area’s finest caterers and restaurants will provide food at stations set up around the speedway.
“If you’re going to support a great cause, you might as well have a great party,” Graves says. “I go to one of these benefits almost every week, and we’re lucky because we have one of the few budgets where we can bring in a headliner for the entertainment. Having Yearwood this year, well, it’s simply unmatched.”
“There are so many great causes, but we are committing ourselves to making the KU Cancer Center the best it can be,” he says.
In the last six years Treads & Threads has raised more than $2.5 million for cancer care at the University of Kansas Hospital. Last year alone, the benefit had more than 3,000 guests and netted about $1 million.
This year the party will benefit the radiation oncology program, helping provide improved technology, additional staff and facilities improvements.
Major sponsors for the event, such as Burns & McDonnell, are part of a “Companies Committed to Care” program. These companies not only make a financial contribution to Treads & Threads, but make a long-term commitment to involving their employees in KU Hospital and other worthwhile causes.
When Graves became CEO of Burns & McDonnell, he became more involved in steering the company’s philanthropic activities. When his father was diagnosed with cancer, he became especially interested in making a difference for the University of Kansas Hospital’s Cancer Center.
“I was more than a little thrilled to chair this event,” he says. “Deanna and I wanted to get involved, plus give back to the community on behalf of our dad.”
Last year Graves opted to wear his Jeff Gordon jacket instead of black tie, and he plans to wear it again this year.
“As chairs, I thought maybe we should dress a little bit more formal this year,” Graves says. “But the jacket stays.”
–For more information about the gala and ticket prices, go to www.treadsandthreads.org.
Do you know people in the community who are making a difference? Send suggestions to Ann Spivak, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108, or send e-mail to [email protected].
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