Hospital auction raises over $55,000
Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, November 18, 2003
- Emcees Bob Williams (left) and Bill Williams kneel in mock apology to Nurse Practitioner Traci Frye for embarrassing her at last year's Healthy Future's Dinner/Auction. They gave her a fall bouquet Saturday night and embarrassed her again. Photo by Rocky Wilson
With a number of expenses still to be calculated, the Wallowa Valley Health Care Foundation earned $55,808 at the eighth annual Healthy Future’s Dinner/Auction, held for the first time at Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise. The gross total came from the sale of event tickets, silent and oral auction proceeds, and donations.
The total compares more favorably with last year’s record $74,000 in proceeds when it is noted that a $20,000 gift from Richard D. and Mary Frasch is earmarked for the proposed new hospital and cannot be counted with the auction total. The Frasch couple donated $20,000 last year that was included with the $74,000 figure.
The Wallowa Hospital Auxiliary decorated the entire hall and 35 tables, with center pieces, sticking to the theme ‘Christmas in November.’ With eight people sitting at a table an estimated 280 persons attended the event. With the colorful decorations it was easy to forget one was in cavernous Cloverleaf Hall.
Guest speakers at the event were Wallowa Memorial Hospital CEO Larry Davy and Dr. Lowell Euhus.
Davy spoke briefly about the economic upswing seen at the hospital in the last two years. He said the days of operating cash for the hospital has increased from eight days to 71 days in those two years. The hospital was $1.5 million in debt 18 months ago and will be totally debt free next month.
“I feel I have a pretty good gauge on the blood pressure and the pulse of this community,” said Dr. Euhus who has been serving this community for 31 years. He was pleased to note that the proceeds from the dinner/auction were going to purchase equipment for the hospital’s physical therapy department. “Some of their equipment is aging,” he said. “I’m proud to live in Wallowa County.”
The highest priced of the 258 items auctioned off during the silent and oral auctions was a $4,000 diamond ring purchased by Greg Johnson. Also auctioned off at a premium price were a Nature Conservancy buck deer hunt which went for $1,800; a C.A.R.T. racing package in Long Beach, Calif., next April which sold for $1,300; and two buckboard benches and a matching table crafted by Dr. DeVee Boyd which sold for $1,200.
