MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s That ‘70s Gala raises more than $60,000 for New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris
9/19/2012
MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s That ‘70s Gala raises more than $60,000 for New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris
Sylva, N.C. – The MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s “That ‘70s Gala” on Aug. 25 raised more than $60,000 for the New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris, a $3 million renovation project of the mother and baby section on the hospital’s third floor.
“I am truly amazed at the commitment of the gala committee, administration, marketing and especially the community who supported the gala which will provide much needed renovations and the creation of a new birthing center,” MedWest Executive Director of Foundations Steve Brown said.
Plans for the New Generations Family Birthing Center include increasing the number of labor and delivery rooms from four to six, implementing new technology, having a dedicated operating room for Caesarean sections and updating furniture and fixtures.
MedWest-Harris officials are aiming for construction of the New Generations Family Birthing Center to begin in the second half of 2013.
Nearly 700 babies are born each year at MedWest-Harris, receiving excellent care from the obstetricians, midwives, nursing staff and pediatricians who care for the families on the Mother and Baby Unit.
More than 370 people attended the 13th annual gala, an evening fundraiser that included disco dancing, fine dining and a silent auction at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel Event Center in Cherokee.
The benefit’s Disco King and Queen contest involved six civic-minded individuals gathering votes and $20,809 in contributions.
Raising the most money were pediatrician Charles Toledo, MD of WNC Pediatric and Adolescent Care, who was crowned Disco King, and dermatologist Currie Custer, MD of Current Dermatology, who was crowned Disco Queen.
The other Disco King and Queen candidates were Howard Allman, the agency owner of Nationwide Insurance Co. in Sylva; Jim Miller, associate vice chancellor for development at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee; Katherine Trousdale, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Bryson City; and Patty Ward, vice president of nursing for MedWest-Harris and MedWest-Swain.
The Gala is the Foundation’s largest fundraising event. Through the years, it has raised money to provide free mammograms to underserved women in Jackson and Swain counties and to purchase equipment like a digital mammography system and laboratory and nuclear medicine technology.
The MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation was created to ensure that quality healthcare will be available to the people of this region now and in the future. The Foundation endowment is a permanent fund, which continues to grow from both gifts and earnings. All donations are tax-deductible and are used to fund new state-of-the-art medical equipment, staff development, new and innovative health services and community programs that directly impact the life of the residents of Western North Carolina.
Donations are not used for routine operating costs.
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MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation That '70s Gala.jpg
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of MedWest Health System.
Photo Caption: The MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s “That ‘70s Gala” on Aug. 25 raised more than $60,000 for the New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris. Celebrating the fundraiser’s success at the disco-themed event are, from left, Heather Baker, chairman of the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation; Steve Heatherly, President and CEO, of MedWest-Harris and MedWest-Swain; Charles Toledo, MD, the Disco King winner; Currie Custer, MD, the Disco Queen winner; and Disco Queen and King candidates Katherine Trousdale, Patty Ward, Howard Allman and Jim Miller. The group is holding a representative check showing that the Disco King and Queen candidates raised $20,809.
The Vinyl Brothers Big Band plays at That 70s Gala.jpg and That 70s Gala featured The Vinyl Brothers Big Band.jpg
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of MedWest Health System.
Photo Caption: The Vinyl Brothers Big Band played at the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s “That ‘70s Gala” on Aug. 25, an event that raised more than $60,000 for the New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris, a $3 million renovation project of the mother and baby section on the hospital’s third floor.
Partygoers at That 70s Gala.jpg
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of MedWest Health System.
Photo Caption: The MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s “That ‘70s Gala” on Aug. 25 raised more than $60,000 for the New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris, a $3 million renovation project of the mother and baby section on the hospital’s third floor. Partygoers included, from the top left and clockwise, Lynda and Boyd Sossamon and Heather and Scott Baker. Heather Baker is chairman of the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation.
Fun at That 70s Gala.jpg
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of MedWest Health System.
Photo Caption: The MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation’s “That ‘70s Gala” on Aug. 25 raised more than $60,000 for the New Generations Family Birthing Center at MedWest-Harris, a $3 million renovation project of the mother and baby section on the hospital’s third floor. Partygoers included, at the top, Dana and Tim Bell, and on the bottom right, Greg Baugess and Charles Toledo, MD, the latter of whom was the Disco King winner. In the lower left, an unidentified attendee sported a tie-dyed shirt in the spirit of the disco-themed event.