By Dave Herndon
Twitter: @NHDaveH

The annual gala celebration put on by The Information Center raised tens of thousands of dollars for the charity.

The event was hosted by Crystal Gardens Banquet Center in Southgate.

The Taylor-based charity invited comedian Heywood Banks to entertain the crowd while they bought raffle tickets and participated in a silent auction. By the end of the night as the comedian sang the final lines of his hit “Toast,” the charity announced it had raised about $58,000 to help fund projects during the year.