NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith will be the special guest and keynote speaker at the American Red Cross’ Evening of Stars fundraiser in November, the organization announced Friday.
The event is set for Nov. 14 at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center in Normal. Tickets are now on sale.
Money raised at Evening of Stars helps the Red Cross provide services throughout the Illinois region, including disaster response, blood donation, training services and support to military members and their families.
“I am excited to join the American Red Cross and the central Illinois community for Evening of Stars,” Smith said in a statement Friday. “It is an honor to partner with this organization and help support its lifesaving mission. I’m looking forward to a fun evening for a great cause.”
Smith was a three-time Super Bowl champion who played running back for the Dallas Cowboys. After his playing days, Smith served as a football analyst on TV and then competed (and won) the third season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
“We cannot wait to have Emmitt Smith join us for our annual Evening of Stars celebration in Normal this fall,” Lyn Hruska, executive director of the Central Illinois chapter of the Red Cross, said in a statement. “We hope you will join us for a night of motivation and encouragement from this talented and distinguished gentleman.”
Evening of Stars has historically brought in some big names to Bloomington-Normal, often from the world of sports. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers headlined the event in 2018. The year before, it was then-recently retired Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross.
