Every year, passionate Redbird fans gather together to raise funds for the women’s athletics programs at Illinois State. This year’s annual ‘Bird Bash’ will be held Thursday, April 26 at Redbird Arena and is open to the public.
The event, which is presented by the Weisbecker Scholarship Fund and Illinois State Athletics, recognizes and celebrates the hard work and dedication of Redbird women student-athletes and raises funds to support their efforts. This year’s event will be hosted by emcee Kendra Haselhorst-Bull, an ISU graduate and former volleyball standout from 1997-2001. Since 2006, the annual fundraising event has raised over $390,000 for Illinois State women’s athletics programs.
Registration begins at 6 p.m., with cocktails by Sodexo, hors-d’oeuvres provided by Moe’s Southwest Grill, and a silent auction presented by Advocate BroMenn Medical Center. A formal program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the silent auction winners will be announced at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $60 per person and purchase of a full table is available.
New to the event is online silent auction bidding and an expanded bidding timeline. Guests will go online to bid on over 100 silent auction items at the event. Fans who cannot attend in person may go online to bid after making a $60 donation (same price as attendance ticket). Additionally, fans will be able to view auction items on the website prior to the event and bidding will go live prior to the start of the event. Silent auction bidding will open on April 23 at 8 a.m. and close on April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Silent auction items include an autographed Paul DeJong baseball bat, Redbird football tailgate package, and other unique Redbird-related experiences and items. Exclusive travel items include a Punta Cana Getaway to the Dominican Republic and a Las Vegas stay with airfare presented by Suzi Davis Travel.
To register for the event, log onto GoRedbirds.com/promotions and use the promo code BirdBash. For more information, contact Marianne Riddell by phone at (309) 438-5455 or by email at mriddell@ilstu.edu.
