Whitman Community Hospital Foundation Gala on January 23, 2016

Carla Danielson's photo from Hooper Crossing Images will be auctioned at the Whitman Community Hospital Foundation's Gala on Jan. 23.

Whitman Community Hospital Foundation’s gala dinner and auction will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, at Hill-Ray Plaza, beginning with a social hour at 6 o’clock and dinner at 7. The social hour features appetizers, champagne, micro-brew beer and punch, with time to view the live and silent auction items.

Funds raised at the gala dinner and auction are added to the Foundation’s endowment funds, which are invested to produce income. The Foundation’s primary goal is to build an endowment of $10 million, so that a stream of income of about $500,000 could be donated to the hospital yearly without diminishing the endowment total.

In the meantime, the Foundation has donated to critical projects, including the therapy pool construction, adding the rehabilitation department to the ground floor of the hospital, and supporting the purchase of the new 3-D mammography machine. This past summer, the Foundation donated $75,000 for the new mammography machine, and community donations of about $23,500 were matched by the Foundation for a total of more than $47,000.

Butch Booker will be the auctioneer, and the Foundation has been busy gathering interesting auction items for the event. The dinner features brie-stuffed pork tenderloin with cherry port sauce. Premium wines are provided with the assistance of Shawn McAdams at Rosauer’s.

Mark and Cathy Sackmann, Endicott, are donating use of their Camano Island vacation home, Island Tyme, to the auction. For lovers of Lake Roosevelt, Keith and Pam Becker are offering their houseboat for an overnight trip.

Fr. Al Grasher, pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Colfax, is donating an Italian dinner for six at the rectory. Fr. Al’s mother was Italian, and he attended seminary in Rome, so he has a special love of Italian food. Mark and Robyn Johnson will host a barbecue dinner on their deck for 10 people. Jon and Li Ochs, inspired by a recent trip, will host a Paris café-style dinner for six on their patio.

Several bottles of premium wine are donated, including a bottle of Drew Bledsoe’s Doubleback Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, signed by the former Cougar quarterback, thanks to David and Debbie Hoadley. Usually a bottle of fine Leonetti wine is available. Dr. Rob and Liane Smith are donating a sparking wine basket. Tim and Heidi Danaher are donating bottles of fine liquor from Dry Fly Distillery, made from local grains.

Whitman Medical Group is donating a special Chef’s Dinner at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla. The meal features gourmet food with wine pairings, and the package includes a night at the famous hotel. Snake River Bar and Grill at Boyer Park has donated a gift certificate from Chef Leo Haas and Teri Haas, who manages the dining room.

Merry Cellars and Banyan’s are joining to offer dinner for 12 with wine pairings at Banyan’s on the Ridge.

For sports fans, WSU interim President Dan Bernardo has donated tickets to a WSU Men’s basketball game, a basketball autographed by Ernie Kent, and other Cougar swag. Tickets for two to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rounds 1 and 2 in Spokane on Friday, March 18, and Sunday, March 20, have been donated. Eight teams will play at the tournament which is hosted by the University of Idaho and the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Lucky skating enthusiasts can purchase tickets for two to the Team Cup Challenge in Spokane for April 22 through 24, which includes four ticketed skating events. Team North America will compete with Team Europe and Team Asia, featuring the best skaters in the world. Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi captains Team North America as it competes for a purse of $2.5 million.

Delbert Moore requested that his daughters donate paintings from his estate to the Foundation. A large landscape of a grassy valley rimmed with trees by Stan Miller will be offered this year. Francisco Aguilar’s photo of the Supermoon will be offered, and Carla Danielson is donating a framed photograph. Carla was recently named as a greeting card designer for Leaning Tree. Aguilar will be taking candid photos at the gala.

Rob Smith, respiratory therapist at Whitman Hospital and Medical Center, has donated one of his water color paintings. Jeff Pittman’s handmade, weathered Washington State University sign will be available.

Such varied items as gravel delivered to your site from Palouse River Rock and a variety of canned delicacies from well-known local canners will be offered. Bryan Jones is donating peaches from his Penawawa orchard next summer. Jeanine Burke is donating one of her famous cakes, and Tom Sheer is donating wheat, which is fun for non-farmers to own and market.

Jen Claassen and Robyn Erickson are partnering to offer special occasion makeup and hair styling, which is popular for proms and weddings. Stella and Dot jewelry, a donation from Arielle Lawhead, will be on the silent auction.

Dr. Kevin Johnson, who grew up in Colfax and practiced general surgery in the Palouse several years ago, has given two gift certificates for laser skin treatments available at his practice, Advanced Aesthetics in Spokane.

For parents with a senior at Colfax High School, a graduation package of 20 reserved seats and three reserved parking spaces is a very desirable item. CHS musical fans can bid for four tickets and a reserved parking space for next November’s production.

For parents and grandparents, there is a pink battery-powered tractor from Jones Truck and Implement, and a small cart of children’s toys and books from Tick Klock Drug.

Many other unique and interesting items will be offered in both the live and silent auctions, and the always popular purse game is on the agenda again. If gentlemen modeling purses filled with varying amounts of cash sounds like fun, this is a great game!

For reservations, call Linda Marler at 397-3172 or email her at [email protected], or call and leave a message at the Foundation office, 509-397-3435 ext. 400. If you and your friends would like to have a table of eight to 10 people, let Linda know when you make your reservation.