The Bowling Green-Warren County chapter of the NAACP will host a gala to promote voter turnout and honor people who are making a difference in the community.

Ryan Dearbone, communications chair for the chapter, said the NAACP holds the Freedom Fund Gala nationally every year.

“It’s a chance to honor those in the community … who are out there doing amazing things in the community,” he said.

The gala will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Augenstein Alumni Center.

This year’s theme is “Defeat Hate: Vote.”

“The thought behind that is this is election season and this election is going to determine a lot for a lot of people in the state and in other states,” Dearbone said.

The theme was inspired by the country’s social and political climate, including news stories about efforts that have been widely criticized as attempts at voter suppression, like Republican gubernatorial candidate and Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s removal of registered voters, a disproportionate number of them black, from the state’s voter rolls, Dearbone said.

“The idea is to defeat hate, defeat the people who want to suppress your freedoms and deny your vote,” he said. “We want people to get out and exercise their right to vote.”

The gala will also honor recipients of four scholarships from the local NAACP chapter, Dearbone said.

The scholarships range from $500 to $1,000 apiece, he said.

“It’s important for us to recognize these students who may need a little bit of help to get there,” he said. “Even though $500 or $1,000 may not be a lot, it may be just enough to get them their books or something else.”