By Celene Fitzgerald
cfitzgerald@chronline.com
Arbor Health Foundation is hosting a virtual “Mask-erade” Dinner and Auction to benefit Arbor Health Morton Hospital.
The auction will be held virtually and will open at 8 a.m. on Sept. 26 and be open through the end of the live auction which begins at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 3. A to-go dinner will be available for pickup on the evening of the live auction.
“We hope that community members will participate in the ongoing auction that week, pick up their meals between 5 and 6 p.m. and get back home before the live auction begins at 6:30 p.m.,” said Arbor Health Executive Director Diane Markham. “This is a new avenue for us, but one that we are excited to take on.”
Arbor Health is the parent name for Morton Hospital and its four clinics — Mossyrock, Randle, Morton and a specialty clinic. The Arbor Health Foundation is a nonprofit that supports the hospital and the four clinics.
The auction and dinner is usually held in-person but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing requirements, the event has gone virtual. Markham said Arbor Health has been holding this event for more than 25 years.
The auction item can be viewed and bid on at arborhealth.maxgiving.bid.
There are two options for the to-go dinner — a pork loin with blackberry sauce, roasted potatoes, broccoli and dessert or roasted butternut squash, quinoa, tofu and a dessert. Each meal will have the options of wine or beer for those of age. The dinner is priced at $40.
“It’s always a great event. It’s become a community event as far as having a fun thing to attend. It’s always helped us out financially as well,” said Markham. “I hope everyone will join us online. It will be different but it will still be fun.”
The items in the auction include themed gift baskets, a gas-powered generator, residential window washing, a two-night cabin rental at an Ocean Shores resort, and “everything in between,” states the press release. Certificates can be mailed out but larger physical items will need to be picked up.
The proceeds from the event will go toward Arbor Health Morton Hospital’s purchase of a new CT scanner and other medical equipment. A portion of the proceeds will also go toward supporting the Gladys Howlett Scholarship. Howlett was the first nurse to work at Morton Hospital in the 1930s, according to Markham. The scholarship supports the education of Arbor Health employees. Markham said that in past years the dinner and auction usually raise about $30,000 to help the hospital buy equipment.
For more information, call or email Markham at 360-496-3610 or dmarkham@MyArborHealth.org.
