American Cancer Society Imagination Ball

The American Cancer Society cordially invites you to Join Us on the Red Carpet Saturday, February 25, 2023, at the JW Marriott as they celebrate 40 years on Marco Island! Paradise Found Restaurant and Bar proudly presents the 2023 Imagination Ball! The event is chaired by Debra Shanahan for the eleventh consecutive year.

Jim Paradise, owner of Paradise Found Restaurant and Bar, is dedicated to supporting the American Cancer Society in the quest to find a cure. The restaurant, located at 401 Papaya St., Goodland is a celebration of life itself, offering good food and libations in a laid-back atmosphere enhanced by the very best in Southwest Florida entertainment. For decades, the Paradise family has also run a string of Renaissance Festivals from the Midwest to Colorado. They look forward to bringing that spirit of celebration and joy of giving to the ACS Imagination Ball.

It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years since the American Cancer Society established its presence on Marco Island through the help, determination, and support of Marco Islander Corrie Grado. To this day, Grado continues to be a driving force in the mission of ACS in our community.

The American Cancer Society’s mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support. They strive to ensure that everyone can prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Their goal is to eliminate the threat of cancer in our world.

But how do you outsmart this deadly disease? Research. The American Cancer Society is the largest nonprofit funder of cancer research in the United States outside of the federal government. Since 1946, ACS has invested over five billion dollars in cancer research. And just think – Marco Island has been an integral part of the fundraising for forty of those years! 

The focus of this year’s Imagination Ball will be research. But it will also be a night of celebration. The black-tie optional gala will be emceed by Lindsey Sablan of WINK News and will feature fine food, live music, dancing, both live and silent auctions, and a video of survivors sharing their inspirational stories of how the American Cancer Society has impacted their lives. Kathein Jewelers will add sparkle to the evening with their dazzling revenue enhancer, the Diamond Dig.

The real celebration will take place on the day that we finish the fight once and for all when we find the cure. That will truly be our Paradise Found. Imagine a world without cancer! 

To learn more about the Imagination Ball and other local events, please contact Sue.Olszak@cancer.org or 239.610.3032. Get your tickets now at https://IB2023.GiveSmart.com. To learn more about the American Cancer Society, including news of its research, and patient support programs, please visit https://www.cancer.org.