- April 3, 2025
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The Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation’s annual Party Under the Stars has been reinvented for the gala’s 10th anniversary.
Supporters and guests are invited to attend Mystery Under the Stars March 1 at The Ora in Sarasota.
Guests will be tasked with solving a murder, but if you can't figure out whodunnit, bribery will get you a few extra clues.
“The theme we picked was the 1920s, so it’s kind of a mobster-type theme,” Executive Director Lynn Rasys said. “Of course, 'the bribe' is a donation.”
Rasys is dressing “full flapper” for the evening with a fringed dress, fishnet stockings, gloves and pearls.
The gala has grown over the past 10 years. It started with about 80 people in the backyard of then CEO Brad Prechtl’s Lakewood Ranch home. By the next year, it had already outgrown the space.
Since then, the gala has attracted up to 400 guests. It was held at the Sailor Circus Arena last year and raised $340,000.
The foundation has an office and staff in Lakewood Ranch. All of those administrative costs are covered by the physicians who practice with the Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute.
Every penny donated to the foundation goes directly to cancer patients, but not for cancer treatments. Instead, the foundation helps ease the stress of financial burdens during treatment.
Jessica Mendez was fighting ovarian cancer, but that wasn’t what was keeping her up at night. It was her overdue rent because she has two teenagers living at home.
The foundation paid $3,000 directly to Mendez’s landlord to cover six weeks of rent while she received chemo therapy. For checks and balances purposes, Rasys said the checks are sent directly to the vendors and cover current unpaid bills.
In 2024, 1,100 patients received $2.15 million worth of bill payments. It was a record-breaking amount of donations for the nonprofit.
“As soon as the money we raise comes in, it goes out to help cancer patients,” Rasys said. “It covers essential everyday living expenses so they can focus on fighting cancer and continuing their treatment.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat in the United States.
The NCI calls the economic burden of undergoing cancer treatment “financial toxicity” and reports that some cancer patients spend more than 20% of their annual income on medical care, even with insurance.
While Rasys said the foundation doesn't like to put patients and their families on the spot, there are always a few in the audience.
“It’s difficult for them to get up and speak,” she said. “But I always recognize them and share their story because it’s very meaningful to the audience to see these families.”
Those families are the reason everyone is gathering. An evening full of fun and intrigue is the bonus.
The Murder Mystery Company will present a two-hour interactive program following a three-course dinner.
The actors will be mingling with guests during the cocktail reception to scout out a few participants ahead of time.
“Every table will be challenged to come up with who did it, how they did it and why they did it,” Rasys said. “It’ll be interesting to see who’s competitive in the audience.”
Bribery is not cheating; it’s encouraged. Prizes will be awarded to those who can think or bribe their way to the most clues.
But only one lucky winner will win a five-night stay overlooking the River Thames at The Savoy in London. A dinner at Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill is also a part of the package.
Auction items include a three-hour cruise for 18 people on the Golden Eagle, a 62-foot Viking yacht, a one-week stay in the Cayman Islands, a three-night stay in Lake Tahoe and an array of sports memorabilia.
“It’s going to be loads of fun,” Rasys said. “It’s something new. I have not seen (a murder mystery gala) done in this area. We’re very excited.”
