There’s no place like home, but there’s no party like the Centurions’ annual gala.
All for the benefit of local youth, the Land of Oz will meet the Old Pueblo from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
“During my childhood, I always remember rushing home to watch the ‘Wizard of Oz’ on TV with my family. Those memories and characters are really embedded in my brain and I think lots of people have fun memories based around this genre,” said LaMonte Hunley, chairman of An Oz-some Experience 2017, who credited his wife with helping come up with the party theme.
Since 1971, the Centurions — which was founded in 1948 as a support group for Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital — has become synonymous with grand charitable themed parties designed to transport guests to exotic destinations or bygone eras. With concepts ranging from the “Great Gatsby” and James Bond to music, politics, pirates and sports, the events raised more than $7 million for equipment, facilities and programs and outreach for St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals and Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales.
In 2015, the Centurions shifted focus. It became an independent nonprofit dedicated to health care, education and mentorship with an emphasis on children. With funds raised this year, Hunley said the organization hopes to fulfill a $207,500-commitment to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson’s Mentor2.0 program.
“This is a program that allows professionals in business, academics and other fields to mentor young kids. They basically shadow these professionals during their high school journeys and get roadmaps on how to be successful and build the skills they need to graduate and continue to the next level in college,” Hunley said. “So far, the program is showing success with the kids in the Amphitheater School District and the money we are providing will allow them to run with the program for the next four years.”
The event will also mark a new strategic partnership between the Centurions and Tucson Medical Center for Children. Hunley said the Centurions is excited to help fulfill medical needs in the community by assisting with expansion of pediatric facilities and programs at TMC.
TMC is elated the Centurions has chosen to align with TMC for Children, according to Michael Duran, vice president and chief development officer of the TMC Foundation.
“The Centurions have always been involved in supporting health care in Tucson and we are thrilled to build more community relationships with them. At the end of the day it is all about enhancing patient care programs and the Centurions will help us to do that,” Duran said.
Hunley hopes the community will show their support by joining the Centurions in Oz, which will feature a buffet dinner in Munchkin land, a journey down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, complete with entertainment and dancing, adult drinks, casino games, other entertainment, a costume contest and fireworks to cap off the evening.
“We want people to let their hair down and dress in costumes as imaginative as possible. We hope people will draw costume ideas from all the different genres starting with the original ‘Wizard of Oz’ and continuing through ‘Wicked.’ We are expecting to see people dressed as everything from flying monkeys to the yellow brick road,” Hunley said.
