Fundraising is about numbers, and Lily’s Luau is no exception, so here are a few numbers to crunch:

• 700+ guests
• 150+ volunteers
• 3 nuns in Badger red
• 1 mezzo-soprano
• 5 scientists wearing purple capes
• 2 videos
• 25K in 4 minutes 

But the Luau is also about the people behind the numbers. It’s about the teacher from Elroy, Wis. who lives with epilepsy, who was reunited with a former student, a Luau volunteer. It’s about a room of 700+ who are silenced in a heartbeat by the powerful performance of Kitt Reuter Foss. It’s about a song,  “Beautiful Day” by U2, which during its play fosters a crowd to donate $25,000 in 4 minutes. And it’s about one family who steps forward with a surprise $12,000 donation. There are so many stories that will come forward throughout the year. 

There’s also the bottom line:

$180,000 in net proceeds to support epilepsy research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Look out, epilepsy. We’ve got your number!

See our two Facebook photo albums:

Vol. 1

Vol. 2