Tickets for Chicago Bears and Cubs games, autographed sports items and a big-screen TV are among the items being auctioned during a Sept. 13 benefit for a police officer diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
The Tara Beeney Benefit, occurring from 2 to 10 p.m. Sept. 13 at Countryside Banquet Facility, 659 School St., Washington, will also feature a spaghetti dinner, music by a DJ, raffles and a bake sale. A cash bar will be available. Admission is $15 per person, or $20 for groups of two or more.
Proceeds will be used to help with Beeney’s medical expenses and create a trust fund for the future education and financial needs of her 6-year-old daughter, Liberty.
Beeney, an 18-year veteran of the East Peoria Police Department, became ill while working her shift June 3. She has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer which has metastasized into the brain. Although she is undergoing treatment, her condition is terminal.
Live and silent auctions will be conducted during the benefit. Among the auction items are a party boat, catered, for up to 50 people; six tickets for the St. Louis Cardinals’ “Cardinal Cove” located behind home plate, which includes a food and beverage service before and during the game and VIP parking passes; tickets for the annual Missouri vs. Illinois Grudge Match basketball game; Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears tickets; autographed items from professional athletes including Jim Thome, until recently of the Chicago White Sox, and Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays; a Peoria Chiefs skybox for one game in 2010; a 14-cubic-foot upright freezer; and a big-screen TV.
The benefit will be hosted by East Peoria Police and Telecommunicators PBPA Local 36 and East Peoria Firefighters International Association of Firefighters Local 1498.
Cash donations are also being accepted. Checks should be made payable to PBPA Local 36 Tara Beeney Benefit and can be sent to Regions Bank, 111 W. Washington St., East Peoria, 61611.
For more information, visit www.cityofeastpeoria.com, or call the East Peoria Police Department at 698-4700 or the East Peoria Fire Department at 698-4741.
