The Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center brought its research fundraising total to over $18 million for the last 25 years at its 25th anniversary gala Saturday night.

The gala, which included a dinner and award presentation, is a decades-old Lombardi Center tradition.

Most of the gala’s proceeds come from the silent auction, where attendees can bid on a wide range of donated luxury items including vacations, art, wine and jewelry.

Event co-chair Paul Schweitzer, who first became involved at Lombardi when his mother was treated there for breast cancer, has been attending the gala for the past 20 years. According to Schweitzer, though the layout of the gala has changed very little since its inception, each year it brings in larger donations.

“We’ve attracted a younger crowd, every year we bring new people in,” he said, adding that this year the center is now using BidPal, an electronic bidding technology, to facilitate the donation process.

This year’s special guest and honorary chair was DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players’ Association.

Smith’s wife is a breast cancer survivor, as are the wives of several of his friends and players.

During his speech, Smith urged the audience to take out their BidPal devices and use the “make a donation” button. As members made donations, their names would appear on a screen next to the stage.

Later in the evening, the center presented the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership award to Thomas and Elizabeth Donohue. The Donohues have a long history of working at the event, including serving as the co-chairs of the 2006 gala. According to Laurie Hodges Lapeyre, who presented the award, the event raised over $1.5 million dollars that year, the most successful night in the gala’s 25-year history.

Every year the Hodges award is given to a Lombardi volunteer who has demonstrated leadership and made great philanthropic contributions. Named after the gala’s original director and Lapeyre’s mother, Margaret Hodges, the award celebrates her creation of the event to aid in the center’s fundraising efforts.

But executive committee member Kim Baich said the event has been consistently well attended each year.

“In spite of the economy, people still come out to support cancer research,” Baich said. “It speaks to leadership at Lombardi and talent and dedication of researchers, but also to the steadfast dedication to the cause that the D.C. community supports.”