As an energetic, elegantly casual, sports-themed soiree — call it an “anti-gala” — the annual HelpCureHD Gala is a chance to support a little-known but crucial cause, all with the potential to get up close and personal with Houston Astros star players.

The event, hosted by celebrated power couple Allie LaForce and Joe Smith, will be held at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 11 at Union Station in Minute Maid Park.

Single tickets for the red-hot fundraiser are still available at $500; find them here. The gala will feature a seated dinner, cocktails, auction items, plus music. (The live auction could be described as electric, as bidders vie for sports-related packages, often competing with Astros owner Jim Crane himself.)

As for the players, while no appearance is ever guaranteed (and commitments are always secret), past events have seen José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, Jr., Michael Brantley, and more.

Each year, LaForce the lead reporter for TNT’s NBA coverage and MLB reporter and her husband, former Astros pitcher and MLB veteran Smith, hold the gala to raise awareness for their HelpCureHD Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for the insidious Huntington’s Disease.

The devastating affliction is an inherited neurodegenerative condition affecting more than 30,000 Americans each year. It slowly attacks the nerve cells in the brain, causing eruptive mood swings, loss of memory, emotional outbursts, and a litany of other neurological distresses.

As LaForce previously shared with CultureMap, the gala, their foundation, and mission, is deeply personal for the husband and wife founders. In August 2020, Smith lost his beloved mother, Lee, to a harrowing, eight-year battle with Huntington’s; he also lost his grandmother.

Even more ominous for Smith: He faces a 50-percent chance of inheriting the scourge that, like Alzherimer’s Disease, has no cure.

But, the couple are fearlessly on the offensive, raising crucial monies to fund families who are hoping to stop the disease from passing to their children by utilizing the proven method of Pre-implantation Genetic Testing In-vitro Fertilization (PGT-IVF). Thus far, 100 families have been supported by the HelpCureHD foundation.

Again, the work is deeply personal: LaForce, who has tried repeatedly to get pregnant, is well on her way to giving birth this year.

“I have been able to experience a fraction of the emotion and joy of our amazing, brave families going through IVF to make HD-free babies,” she tells CultureMap. “Now, I am pregnant myself with our own HD-free angel. It takes a great amount of strength to get this far, and I have so much love and respect for our families, and my appreciation for them has only deepened as I have experienced it myself. After three egg retreivals, a miscarriage, and now a pregnancy, its not easy, but its worth it.”

Crediting the “village” around her, LaForce says that battling the disease, which is still mostly unknown nationally, requires a team approach, one that can be especially emotional and harrowing for families. “We rely on the doctors who discovered the HD gene,” she continues, “the doctors who discovered how to eliminate a disease with IVF, and the families brave enough to endure the process to make sure their families are happy and healthy.”

While profoundly tragic in one way, LaForce’s and Smith’s story is ultimately uplifting and positive, values the couple share and infuse in their annual Houston event.

“We have always wanted to have an event that raised awareness and money for the incredibly brave families dealing with Huntington's Disease,” LaForce adds, “while also giving people a reason to feel joy and hope. Our first two events were luncheons, and they were fun, but more serious. We knew transitioning to a gala with live music and an open bar and a rowdy auction would be the best of both worlds!”

With 100 families experiencing miraculous births and the inspiring host couple set to welcome their own baby (Joe plans to host a hilarious, March Madness-style naming competition), this year, especially, is clearly a reason to party — and get rowdy.

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The HelpCureHD Gala will be held at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 11 at Union Station in Minute Maid Park (501 Crawford St.). Individual tickets ($500) are available. For more information, visit the event page.

To learn more about HelpCureHD, visit the official website, Facebook, or Instagram.