East Morgan County Hospital hosts 13th Annual Fall Affair
On Saturday, Oct. 12, the East Morgan County Hospital in Brush held its 13th Annual Fall Affair at the Brush Fairgrounds. Nearly 300 people attended the event to support the hospital and its foundation.
The event theme was "Destination New England," with dinner sponsored by Cargill Meat Solutions and prepared by Chef Peter Sisneros and his staff. The menu featured East Coast dishes such as lobster roll sliders, crab cakes, clam chowder, and lobster mac n' cheese. Drinks were sponsored by the Bank of Colorado, with specials including the Cape Codder, Old Vermont, and Maine Root Blueberry Soda. Agriland sponsored desserts and chose from apple pie, blueberry pie, or Boston cream pie. Morgan Community College HOSA students served the meal, and the hospital donated to the group for their work.
The money raised will be used for capital purchases for the hospital and scholarships. Twenty percent of the event's profits are allocated to scholarships, supporting employee educational advancement. The foundation has provided $37,000 to assist 17 employees and awarded 24 scholarships worth $27,000 to high school seniors to work toward becoming a provider. The Petteys and Needham Foundations were recognized for their support of hospital capital improvements. The foundations have been instrumental in expanding and renovating the emergency department and purchasing new scope equipment for the Surgery Department.
The fundraiser featured live and silent auctions and games of chance to win prizes. The live auction items included tickets to Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and Denver Broncos games, Frontier Airline tickets, a wine tasting for eight, a home-grown turkey, a rustic Colorado flag, and an original oil painting by Sue Hodgson. Many items were also available in the silent auction, and games of chance to win prizes like a cauldron filled with cash, a wood-fired pizza oven or Adirondack furniture.
EMCH Event Coordinator Wendy Danielson and Foundation Event Coordinator Elise Gerken organized and planned the event. Hospital CEO Linda Thorpe spoke to the crowd, saying, "Alise and Wendy really do start planning for next year — tomorrow. I keep telling them you don't have to outdo yourselves every year, but they choose to do so. We really can't thank them enough for everything they do."
Long-time event supporter and auctioneer Chuck Miller led the live auction, said he was honored to be part of the event and kept the crowd entertained throughout the evening. The evening ended with the Denver Piano Show, sponsored by Hubbard, featuring "stylings and vocals by Dave Grimsland and crew."
