Big gift revealed at hospital gala
Auxiliary pledge is boost for upcoming renovations campaign
News editor
Jazz and charity filled the air Saturday at Marion Community Center as more than 100 people turned out for the fifth annual St. Luke Hospital Foundation dinner.
Foundation director Roger Schroeder livened up the event with a surprise announcement of a major financial pledge for proposed renovations to the Living Center and medical clinic.
“We had a great gift come in this week from the hospital auxiliary,” Schroeder said. “This week they gave me a signed pledge form for $125,000.”
St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary president Elora Robinson said the pledge would be paid over five years, with hopes that it would increase during that time.
“We know that the Living Center and the physicians’ clinic need updating,” she said. “Our mission is to help the hospital and the Living Center, so that’s what we do with our money. We’re making money thanks to the community’s contributions, all their donations, and everybody else coming in to purchase.”
Patrons dined to jazz and blues provided by the Barbara Baxter Trio, and helped to raise money for the foundation through raffle prizes that were awarded throughout the evening.
Schroder said the dinner brought in about $12,000, nearly $5,000 more than last year’s total.
“The first year it started it was basically a Xeroxed piece of paper, trifolded, stuffed in an envelope, sent to everybody on our mailing list, and we just hoped it would build itself,” he said. “Here we are in our fifth year and we have the biggest crowd we’ve ever had.”
Schroeder said the “Moving Forward Together” fundraising campaign is in the final stages of planning, and hopes to provide additional information when it formally kicks off.