ROCK SPRINGS – The Memorial Hospital Foundation once again transformed the Sweetwater County Events Complex into an elegant atmosphere of giving; raising approximately $121,400 to support the Foundation’s Greatest Needs Fund, Cancer Fund, Dialysis Fund, and the Dr. Pryich Healing Garden on February 4, 2017.

“This year we decided to add an activity where guests could choose where to designate a donation. We hosted a 10x raffle where guests could make a donation in an amount of their choice to a variety of funds that the Foundation has. Once all donations were collected, we drew a lucky winner and they won back 10x the amount of their donation. It was fun to see how many guests wanted to participate in this raffle and it helped us raise money not just for the Greatest Needs Fund, but for many other funds we use to support hospital initiatives” explained Tiffany Marshall, the Memorial Hospital Foundation Director.

The evening started with Marshall introducing the new Foundation Board President, Charlie Van Over, who took over the role from Al Harris just a month earlier when Harris termed out. “We want to thank Al for everything he has done for the Foundation. He was a great leader that positioned the Foundation to continue to grow as we move forward” Van Over explained to the crowd. The Foundation recognized Harris by presenting him with a dedicated plaque and engraved pocket watch. Mr. Van Over then handed the microphone to Harris who continued on with the evening as the event’s master of ceremonies.

At the conclusion of the live auction, Harris surprised the crowd by auctioning off his jacket explaining “My wife hates this jacket, so we’ll auction it off tonight.” This encouraged former CEO, Jerry Klein, to do the same, raising an extra $1,000 total for the Foundation. “It’s things like what Al and Jerry did that brought energy and excitement to the event and hopefully, we can build on that in the future,” added Marshall. “It was such a fun and exciting night. We had a lot of surprises for our guests, even surprises I didn’t know about. I’m always impressed at how much support we receive from the community, but this year was definitely the best Gala we’ve had. The guests were great, the activities were fun, our volunteers were amazing and the night couldn’t have gone better,” an enthusiastic Marshall noted.

Mrs. Marshall also attributed the success to the volunteers who helped throughout the night. Western Wyoming’s wrestling and volleyball teams, the Bitter Sweet Bombshells, the Rock Springs Highs School’s Health Academy and National Honor Society, various students from other organizations from both high schools, and the Memorial Hospital staff were among those who volunteered.

The winner of the highly anticipated Red Tie Gala Can-Am Raffle was Martin Stearns.

The Memorial Hospital Foundation was established in 2006 for the purpose of securing financial resources to support the current and future initiatives of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. The Memorial Hospital Foundation raises funds for state-of-the-art equipment, supporting current and future programs, and the improvement of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County facilities.

The Memorial Hospital Foundation’s 5th annual Red Tie Gala’s date will be announced soon. If you would like to donate or become involved please contact the Memorial Hospital Foundation at (307) 352-8234.