The Hospital Foundation held its 12th Annual Fundraising Gala in April to benefit the projects and programs of Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH). The event was sold out and overall, raised over $70,000, all of which will be used to continue improving the quality and variety of care available at DCMH.
Nearly 370 attendees attended the “Boots & Bling” themed event at Walhill Farm in Batesville, where it has been for the last several years. Guests did not hesitate to bust out their cowboy hats, dust off their boots and add some bedazzle to their attire.
Hospital Foundation Coordinator Vicki Rudolf says the event was successful and a great time. She added, “I was amazed at how many people really dressed up and got into the Boots & Bling theme. We see the majority of the attendees within Greensburg in a professional setting, so it is nice to see everyone let loose and have fun with it.”
Throughout the evening, there is a group of non-disclosed individuals who nominate four men and four women to compete for the night’s best theme outfit. The nominees are then voted on by the other gala attendees by donations. Whoever has the most money is the winner. This year, The Cowboy Queen was Sue Feaster and the Cowboy King was Zach Willette. Voters raised over $630.
Rudolf also pointed out the involvement of the various DCMH departments in the silent auction, where volunteers filled a wooden barn crate and developed a “Boots & Bling” Barnyard Box.
“There was a lot of creativity in the baskets this year,” she said, “And it was neat to see what each department delivered.” The donated DCMH Barnyard Boxes for the Silent Auction raised $2800 for the event.
Besides the auction, the gala always has a variety of “fun-raising” games that also collect monies for the Foundation. This year, the games were more popular with the attendees than ever. They included: a ring toss onto a saddle horn, shoot tin to win, boot pong, panning for gold and the popular beer slide. Overall, the games alone raised $3300.
They also had an “Aces to Win” game. Committee members sold gold beads during the evening and then at the end, 10 large cards were placed on the floor. Participants had to choose an ACE suit and stand on that card. The dealer picked a random card from the deck and if their suit was drawn, they were safe. If their suit was not drawn, they lost a bead. If a Joker was drawn, no one lost a bead and the game continued with choosing the next suit.
On the 5th round, one joker was removed and the game continued until the player with the last bead was standing on the correct Ace drawn by the dealer. The winner of the game won a one week stay in a 2 bedroom beach condo at Myrtle Beach, SC. Participants raised $2500 with this game.
The Gala is planned by a committee consisting of hospital employees, foundation board members, and community members. This year’s Gala Planning Committee included:
Alex Henkle, Chairperson
Cheryl Johnson
Cindy McCamment
Courtney Crowe
Cheryl Harford
Jean Long
Jenni Hanna
Mary Angle
Micah & Mandy Lohrum
Shannon Allgeier
Bryan Robbins
Vicki Rudolf
The gala’s biggest sponsors were Aspen Place, Morning Breeze, Hilliard & Lyons, and Arbor Grove Village.
Rudolf said, “This event truly highlights the importance of a great community and a great hospital. The gala committee we had this year went above and beyond to make the evening special. None of this happens without them.”
Rudolf would like to thank all the sponsors, committee members, Foundation and DCMH employees, and community members for contributing to the evening.