Run for the Roses Charity Gala

Welcome to the "Run for the Roses Gala" Homepage

A Page Designed for All Things Gala - Sponsor! Purchase Tickets!  Bid on Silent Auction Items! Donate!

Don't miss your chance to attend or support Dreams on Horseback's legendary gala - a staple on the social calendars of many of our guests!  

This year you will be "called to post" at the stately Columbus Academy where you will enjoy Kentucky Derby themed appetizers, Kentucky bourbon tastings, and more. 

Enjoy a raucous live auction in addition to a robust silent auction while donning Derby Day attire (optional).

The annual gala serves as Dreams on Horseback's primary fundraiser for Dreams on Horseback and allows us to raise the critical funds needed to enrich lives with horses!

Meet Jerod Smalley - 2025 Run for the Roses Gala Emcee

Dreams on Horseback is honored to have Jerod Smalley grace our stage and lead us all in a celebration of the work of Dreams on Horseback at our gala this year.

Jerod Smalley serves as co-anchor of First at 4 and NBC4 at 5. He joined NBC4 on the sports team in 2004 and was Sports Director from 2006 to 2023.

Jerod has been named Ohio's Best Anchor (news, weather or sports) six times by the Associated Press. He and the NBC4 sports team won numerous awards for their coverage of local sports. He's covered events around the world, including the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, three Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, three World Series and multiple Ohio State national championship appearances.

He's also earned several regional Emmy Awards, including four for his work on NBC4's special series "The Autism Puzzle." Jerod's a proud dad of sons Brady and Tyler, who are both on the autism spectrum.

Jerod previously worked at WSAZ-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, and KSNT-TV in Topeka, Kansas.

Smalley was a state shot put champion in West Virginia and went on to compete at Marshall University, where he graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors in 2001. He and his father, Jerry, were inducted into the West Virginia Sports Legends Hall of Fame in 2023.

Jerod serves on the committee for Autism Speaks in Columbus and is a board member of OCALI and the OHSAA.

Are You A Bourbon Lover?
Don't Miss Out On the Bourbon Tasting This Year!  

Purchase Bourbon Tasting

Iris is just one very big reason why your support matters!

Can't attend?  Consider making a donation today!