Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is coming to Columbia on Feb. 9 to cap a statewide fund-raising effort for survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The state’s hospitals are spearheading the campaign to help their Asian counterparts provide vaccinations, medical supplies and mental health counseling in the wake of the disaster.

The Feb. 9 event at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center was going to be a formal affair — dancing, bar, black-tie attire. But with Giuliani’s assent, members of the S.C. Hospital Association decided on a more modest charity event, inviting the public to participate.

Contributions through the group’s 100 hospitals will “support our partners on the front line of disaster in South Asia,” association CEO J. Thornton Kirby told a Thursday news conference at the State House.

On hand to lend state support were S.C. first lady Jenny Sanford and a bipartisan group of legislators. Gov. Mark Sanford will introduce Giuliani at the banquet.

Tickets for the public will be: $150 for dinner; $350 to also attend a reception; $2,000 for a dinner table for eight; and $3,500 for a table plus the reception.

Money raised will be donated through the Red Cross, Kirby said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit http://www.scha.org/ or call (803) 796-3080.