Better Health has been taking care of Cumberland County citizens since 1958. The organization offers services like diabetes monitoring, education clinics and a menagerie of classes. In order to provide all of these vital services, the board hosts annual fundraisers like this year’s Evening at the Theater. “Better Health has hosted an Evening at the Theater event for 19 years and last year’s event was our most successful! Bringing the casino and live music back, we expect this year to be a huge success as well,” said Amy Navejas, the executive director of Better Health. So, save the date — March 5 — and come ready to have a great time.

A unique event that provides high-quality entertainment with a night of high-spirited fun, this year’s Evening at the Theater is set in a London casino. “Our theme is The Beatles LOVE Fay Vegas. Last year’s Viva Fay Vegas event was a huge success! Everyone raved about the casino and Vegas feel, so the committee decided to bring the casino back! Reminiscent of the Las Vegas Beatles LOVE show, we will have a live band, the British Invaders, here to provide musical entertainment. Much of the food will also follow along with the Beatles theme,” Navejas said. 

The British Invaders were formed in 2014 and have already made a name for themselves in the Triangle music scene. They specialize specifically in popular British music from the 1960s. 

In addition to the music, Britain is known for its hearty food. “Highland Country Club will be providing the food for the evening. The spread will include carving stations, fish and chips, Strawberry Fields salads, bangers and mash, Union Jack cake, Yellow Submarine martinis and more,” Navejas said. There will also be themed desserts and beverages.

This year the event organizers decided to add to the entertainment and include the infamous UNC/Duke game, which will be playing during the event, to the festivities. Not only will the game itself be interesting, the local rivalries always bring some excitement to the room. For Navejas there is no contest, “UNC hands down! I went to UNC for my undergraduate degree and support the Tar Heels all the way. You know where my chips will be! We will offer prize packages for the UNC/Duke game book half-time winners and final game winners. You don’t want to miss this!”

Along with the British theme, there is also a continuation of the successful casino theme. “The casino will include blackjack, roulette, craps, poker and a UNC/Duke wager board. All casino fun will use ‘fun money,’ which will be provided to each attendee at check-in. Additional casino fun money will be available for purchase from the casino show girls,” Navejas explained. Last year’s casino theme was fun for the guests and extremely successful. 

An Evening at the Theater is a much-anticipated event and one that Better Health loves to host each year. About 250 attendees are expected and Navejas advises people to purchase tickets early so as not to miss the exciting night.

As fun and exciting as this evening will be, the real joy is that the proceeds will benefit an organization that’s mission is to provide for the unmet healthcare needs of Cumberland County residents through assistance, referral and education. Sometimes that means offering classes for things like how to deal with diabetes or how to manage and prevent childhood obesity. Sometimes it means arranging for free eye exams and free glasses or loaning medical equipment to someone who can’t afford to purchase it. Maybe it is dental assistance or help purchasing medical supplies. It might mean financial assistance for people dealing with prolonged serious illnesses — or a host of other things. A healthy population translates in to a healthy and thriving community and that is what Better Health is about — providing the tools and education that the community needs to get and stay healthy.

“Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to Better Health’s programs, which include Diabetes Management, Emergency Direct Aid and Childhood Obesity Prevention,” Navejas says, “Because of generous operational support from the United Way, we are able to put fundraiser revenue back into our programs and to clients in need.”

If you’ve never been, don’t be afraid to roll the dice on this event. Better Health’s annual Evening at the Theater will be held on March 5 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. The venue this year is the Highland Country Club located at 105 Fairway Drive. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased at www.BetterHealthcc.org. For more information visit http://www.betterhealthcc.org or call 910.483.7534.