About 250 people gathered at the Country Club of Brewton Thursday night to help raise funds to build a Brewton room at the Ronald McDonald House in Mobile.

Ronald McDonald himself presided over the live auction of a trip to Las Vegas, and silent auction items included packages such as a weekend on Lake Martin and a casserole a month for one year.

The event, titled “McCheers,” raised funds for the Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for families whose children are being treated at Mobile hospitals.

McCheers committee chairwoman Margaret Ann Smith said the turnout for the event exceeded her expectations.

“We were hoping for 200,” she said. “We sold 230 tickets, and probably sold another 20 at the door.”

Smith’s brother and sister-in-law stayed at Ronald McDonald House when her niece was hospitalized in Mobile, so she has seen how valuable the house can be for families.

“Ronald McDonald House is dear to the hearts of so many people in Brewton,” she said.