Elizabeth Smart to keynote Boys & Girls Clubs gala

GAINESVILLE - The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County's annual gala will feature Elizabeth Smart as keynote speaker this year.

Smart gained notoriety when she was kidnapped at age 14 from the bedroom of her home in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was found nine months later on March 12, 2003, in another Utah town, 18 miles form Salt Lake City, and her abductors were arrested.

Also that night, the clubs will honor Walter and Winkie Boomershine with their prestigious "Helping Hands Award." The Helping Hands Award is given annually to an individual, group or organization that has - through service, dedication and commitment - improved children's lives at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County.

This year's gala will be held Tuesday, Oct. 29, beginning at 5:30 at the Gainesville Civic Center. From 5:30-8:00 there will be a reception, dinner and program, and from 8:00-9:00, Smart will hold a book signing for her book "My Story."