Red, white and Greenwood

That’s not just because the event is taking place Sept. 11. It’s because the dinner will be followed by a concert by Lee Greenwood of “God Bless the USA” fame.

“We wanted to do more to involve the community, and the typical gala — the way a lot of nonprofits do them — is a black-tie, high-priced, high-end social event for businesspeople who want to network,” Sturdy said. “We said, ‘There’s enough of those; let’s tone ours down.’”

Part of the inspiration came from a donor who urged the foundation to “build upon the overall patriotism of the community.” The idea struck a chord with Sturdy.

When Greenwood’s availability date turned out to be Sept. 11, Sturdy said, “it naturally became an event involving first responders.”

A tri-county campaign (Ingham, Eaton and Clinton) was launched two weeks ago to collect nominations “for first-responders who go above and beyond” the call of duty, Sturdy said. Applications are being accepted www.irmc.org/ foundation. A committee will select the top 10 nominees for special recognition during Greenwood’s concert. One representative from each category — fire, police and EMS — will receive an award.

The gala reception begins at 4 p.m., with dinner at 5 and the concert at 8. A combination gala VIP/concert ticket is $250.

Tickets for Greenwood’s concert are $30 general admission and $20 for lawn seats. They are on sale now at startickets.com.

Lee Greenwood

Part of the Ingham Regional Healthcare Foundation Gala 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 Country Club of Lansing 2200 Moores River Drive Lansing $30/$20 lawn seats Gala/concert ticket $250 startickets.com