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Guests at the Feb. 11 “Titanic Grandeur” event are transported back in time to 1912 as they embark on a voyage to raise funds for Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation. Pictured from left, Amy Einspahr, Annie Stephens, Gayln Einspahr and Allen Einspahr enjoy a social hour before an evening of delicious food, auctions, dancing and more at Phillips County Event Center. —Johnson Publications photo

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Regent Park’s Julie Kotch holds her breath waiting to see if her boat will make it across the finish line first in the Iceberg Escape game. —Johnson Publications photo

Legacy Event raises funds of TITANIC proportions for MMHF

Not only were the decorations, food and entertainment of titanic extravagance, the community support of Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation’s annual Legacy Event lived up to its “Titanic Grandeur” name.
    Funds raised from the Saturday, Feb. 11, event hit a grand total of $82,225.
    “Titanic Grandeur proved to be everything we had planned and hoped for the evening of our seventh MMHF Legacy Event,” said Nancy Colglazier, executive director of the foundation.
    Phillips County Event Center was filled with approximately 235 people — an increase from last year — in addition to a large number of volunteers.
    “Our community supported our event with overwhelming generosity through donating auction items and purchasing tables, seats and raffle tickets,” said Colglazier.
    Contributing to the total funds raised was $31,223 from the two auctions Saturday night, including $28,100 from the live auction and $3,123 from the silent auction.
    “It is a great testimony to the support we received when we can raise over $30,000 on auction items. The foundation is most grateful to our community for their continued support,” Colglazier said.
    An addition to this year’s Legacy Event was the auctioning of two Thomas Pediatric Packs that will be used by the Melissa Memorial Hospital EMS department. The importance of saving lives became evident when the bidding began, and the foundation was overwhelmed with the generosity from businesses and individuals.
    Colglazier said it was a wonderful honor to deliver the first pediatric pack to EMS director Brady Ring, with the second pack on order.
    “This made our event, in my opinion, the best one in seven years,” said Colglazier. “The foundation and Legacy committee put a lot of work into the events each year, and this project makes me even more excited looking forward to the eighth event. This type of ‘giving’ could become an annual happening at our events.”
    The majority of the funds raised will go toward the MMHF Campaign Legacy, the foundation’s three-year commitment to the MMH expansion project. Funds will also benefit scholarships for students pursuing medical degrees as well as MMHF operations.
    
    ‘Titanic Grandeur’ makes big waves at fun evening event
    Guests were welcomed into the beautifully decorated Phillips County Event Center by Steve Young, president of the hospital board and liaison to MMHF, and Trampas Hutches, CEO of the hospital.
    A steak and shrimp dinner was catered by Allyn Robinson of Happy Jacks Barbeque and Bill and Kristie Pelle of Kristie’s Katering. Servers included hospital employees and their friends and family members who volunteered.
    Lloyd Michael Jr. of Michael Auction Service conducted the live auction.
    At the auction’s conclusion, six ships were sold for the Iceberg Escape game. Players moved forward and backward on the stage based on the roll of the dice. Regent Park’s ship, captained by Julie Kotch, escaped from the iceberg and crossed the finish line first, winning half of the funds raised from the ships purchased.
    Dan Baucke of Baucke Funeral Home was named the winner of the raffle for his choice of a trip to Playa del Carmen in Mexico, Napa Valley in California and New York City in New York.
    A big conversation piece of the night was the marlin hanging above the bar. The huge fish was caught by a Holyoke man, Brady Dirks, while on vacation in Hawaii.
    Other conversations prompted stories about the real Titanic. One guest in attendance said her grandfather was supposed to sail on the Titanic but actually missed the boat, ultimately missing an unfortunate fate on the Atlantic when the Titanic sank April 15, 1912.
    “Titanic Grandeur” has left its mark with a wave of support for Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation, joining the epic memories from past Legacy Events which began in 2011: Mardi Gras, Western Splendor, Roaring ’20s, Run for the Roses, James Bond 007 and Romance in Venice.
  

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