The biggest fundraiser of the year for the LifeWorks Charitable Foundation kicks off this week.

While the foundation’s annual fundraiser usually includes selling tickets for a night at Fort Frenzy with food, drinks and entertainment, this year organizers have had to think outside the box by going virtual.

“With this fundraiser, we wanted to make sure we kept people safe, so we didn’t want to do the traditional,” LifeWorks Executive Director Teresa Naughton said. “But we still wanted to have a cause to celebrate and share a little bit about the LifeWorks programs.”

The fundraiser kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with video testimonials and the start of the silent auction.

The silent auction will run from 7 p.m. on Thursday through 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. Some items in the silent auction include jewelry from Kirkberg Connections, a weekend stay in a yurt, Sister’s Homestyle Entrees dishes and more.

Monday will feature a video art lesson from Kennedy Kelley of the Blanden Memorial Art Museum.

Bailey Miller will teach the LifeWorks Line Dance and Soldier Creek Winery will share the finer points of wine tasting online on Tuesday, all via video.

Videos featuring Cameron Nelson and a cooking lesson from Iowa Central Community College and beer education from Shiny Top Brewing will launch on Nov. 4.

The “live” virtual event will start at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5, with a live stream of a talent show in which donors will vote with their dollars for the winner. The silent auction ends at 8:30 on Nov. 5.

A post-event celebration will air at 7 p.m. with a dare video on Nov. 6.

There are no tickets this year and no cost to register for the video events. The videos will stream on the LifeWorks website, Lifeworkscommunityservices.org, where donations can be made.

Naughton said the fundraiser event is more than just to raise money for the foundation, but to spread information and testimonials about LifeWorks.

“We’re raising funds and raising friends,” she said.