Classic cars and cornhole raise funds for Nebraska cancer patients

Cornhole did its job in Lincoln: it gave the crowd a simple way in, then let the classic cars and firefighters do the rest. The fifth annual Classic Cars & Cornhole for Cancer fundraiser brought the game to the April Sampson Cancer Center on Friday, June 5, 2026, with organizers using a 5 p.m. car show, a 6 p.m. cornhole tournament and food to turn a charity night into a full evening of activity.

Cancer Partners of Nebraska, Bryan Health and the Lincoln Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local #644 backed the event, which ran from 5 to 9 p.m. at 4101 Tiger Lily Rd. All funds raised were earmarked for local cancer patients and kids in need in the community, a setup that showed why cornhole keeps showing up in fundraising playbooks: it is easy to stage, easy to understand and easy for families, neighbors and casual players to enter without feeling shut out.

That accessibility matters. A cornhole bracket does not need a long learning curve or elite equipment, and that makes it a strong donor engine when paired with something eye-catching like a classic-car showcase. The cars widened the appeal, the firefighters brought recognizable local presence and the game itself gave the night a participatory spine. For a fundraiser that has already reached its fifth year, that combination is more than a novelty. It is the formula.

The setting added weight to the night. The April Sampson Cancer Center opened in spring 2024 after Cancer Partners of Nebraska said the facility consolidated cancer services that had previously been spread across multiple sites into one location. The center was named for April Sampson, who died in 2016 after battling breast cancer for decades, and the project was unveiled in late 2020 after John Sampson and Cori Vokoun donated 29 acres for the facility. In other words, the cornhole boards were set up inside a place built around cancer care, not just next to it.

That history helps explain why the fundraiser has traction. An earlier account of the event drew about 200 people, a solid number for a charity night built around a backyard game. The lesson is hard to miss: cornhole scales well because it lowers the barrier to entry while still giving sponsors, volunteers and attendees a reason to stay. In Lincoln, it once again proved it can be more than a tailgate game. It can be the hook that keeps an annual cancer fundraiser growing.