"Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages..." the 37th Annual Swordsman's Ball benefiting the American Cancer Society is Aug. 21 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. This year's theme is "Three Rings of Fun, One Night for the Cure."

Through efforts such as the Swordsman's Ball, the ACS has contributed to a 15 percent decrease in the overall cancer death rate between the early 1990s and 2005. This means that the ACS has helped avoid about 650,000 cancer deaths. Overall, 11 million cancer survivors in America will celebrate another birthday.

The black-tie optional event begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m. and dancing featuring local band PRIME from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. A silent auction will also take place.

Individual tickets are $125. Sponsorships are available, beginning at $750 with numerous levels up to $25,000. Presenting sponsor is WellStar. Table sponsorship available for $1,500.

A new feature of the event is an "after-party" ticket that is offered for those who want to join the evening's festivities for the concert, auction and dancing. Dinner is not included with this ticket. An individual ticket is $40, or $75 per couple.

"(The after-party ticket is) another way to support the cause," said event co-chair Jason Saliba.

Saliba, a Cobb County deputy assistant district attorney, has worked on the Swordsman Ball for years. His grandfather died of cancer and his mother is a twice cancer survivor. "(Cancer) affects every family at some point. It affects virtually every group of people at some point," he said.

For Tammy Cohen, president and chair of Infomart and Swordsman's Ball event co-chair, Saliba's words ring true. "Last year, an InfoMart employee with breast cancer underwent a double mastectomy," Cohen said. "As a company, we decided there was no better cause to devote our resources to this year."

Proceeds from the Swordsman's Ball are used for the Cobb County area, according to Saliba. "All the money raised at Swordsman's stays local. It doesn't go to the national cancer society," Saliba added.

"The money raised goes toward cancer research, which means more birthdays are celebrated in Cobb each year," Cohen said.

Robin and Allan Bishop are sponsorship co-chairs. Elin Mazloom and Chris Martin are auction co-chairs. Babe Atkins-Byrne is the ACS, Cobb Leadership Council chair.

Join the ACS in its celebration of life at the 37th annual Swordsman's Ball. "It's a very fun event," Saliba said.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, visit www.swordsmansball.com or call the ACS at (770) 429-0089.