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Community members of all ages come together this Friday for ASWSU’s iHeartPullman event in support of Pullman Regional Hospital.

Emyly Hall, ASWSU director of community affairs, intends for the first iHeartPullman to bring the Pullman and WSU community together.

“I’m graduating this year, but I’m hoping I have given it a good head start in the right direction to continue building upon it each year,” Hall said. “This year we set the foundation. It’s important to give back and be more in-tune with our community.”

Preparation included a lot of marketing and figuring out what type of outreach would be successful to get the best possible turnout, Hall said.

“I see that there’s a lot of potential for ASWSU to do so much to include the student body,” she said. “Giving students the opportunity to be able to interact with important figures that are shaping the way the university sometimes operates is really important.”

Hall wants to make sure ASWSU is giving students the best experience possible at WSU.

“Overall, it’s a great way to round yourself off as a student and as a Pullman resident,” she said.

There is going to be a beer garden, a silent auction, free food and free swag at the event. The auction promotes a variety of local businesses, Hall said.

Amanda Jordan, ASWSU assistant director of community outreach, spent most of her time bringing in as many local businesses as she could to help them advertise themselves.

Jordan said she looks forward to seeing the turnout and the interaction among attendees.

“There aren’t a lot of events that we hold here that community members feel comfortable coming to. They never felt like it was a good environment for them,” Jordan said. “Right now in sales, a lot of the community purchased tickets, almost matching WSU students.”

Pullman Regional Hospital would like to expand in the near future to provide the community with same-day services. All of the proceeds go toward this goal, Jordan said.

Kelsey Phariss, ASWSU executive director of “It’s On Cougs,” was introduced to the event’s artists when she began the project. She became a huge fan and downloaded three of Tyrone Wells’ CDs.

Phariss said she is proud to have her school host an event in support of the local hospital that helps so many people, including herself.

“As someone [who] has a genetic disease, I think it’s really cool that it benefits Pullman Regional Hospital and that’s one of the reasons I am primarily excited to go,” she said. “We’ve all been to the emergency room one or twice. We all owe Pullman Regional Hospital something.”

iHeartPullman is tonight in the CUB Senior Ballroom, with performances by Allen Stone, Tyrone Wells and Tommy Simons. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the show begins at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on ASWSU’s website and cost $20 for students and $25 for non-students.