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The H Foundation Raises $1,212,210 for Cancer Research at Goombay Bash
The lighting industry as well as executives from major corporations, sports legends, and Hollywood celebrities (Rob Lowe was the Celebrity Guest of Honor) came together this past weekend for the 23rd Annual Goombay Bash, presented by Becknell Industrial.
At the festive auction event, a selection of 250+ packages in fine dining, entertainment, health and beauty, home and garden, sports tickets, and specialty items were up for bid.
The result was the highest fundraising night in Goombay Bash history, raising over $1,212,210 (and counting) for basic science cancer research through The H Foundation.
This year’s gala also honored Alan Karen of SATCO with the 2025 Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award. Karen is long-time Goombay Bash and The H Foundation supporter.
Rooted in the lighting industry – two of Chicago-area Horton Lighting’s employees passed away from cancer – The H Foundation was created over a cocktail called the Goombay Smash. It started out as a few friends with an entrepreneurial spirit banding together to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Every Summer since, The H Foundation hosts the Goombay Bash, a fundraising event under the disguise of a casual Caribbean-style party. The H Foundation has grown to include two additional annual fundraisers, Comedy for Cancer and the Celebrity Golf Classic, as well as other opportunities to get involved.
Since 2001, the 501(c)3 non-profit H Foundation has raised more than $12 million, donating nearly every dollar raised to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. These funds are used as seed money for basic science cancer research projects to help them compete for additional government or private funding. As a result, the Goombay Bash donations have been leveraged into over $250 million of research dollars towards finding a cure.