WRHS Foundation’s 2nd Annual Adult Prom Rocks the Boat Toward $38,000 Raised!
By Ted Uecker, WRHS Foundation
The West River Health Services Foundation’s 2nd Annual “Adult Prom,” held this past Saturday, April 16th at Suzie’s Woodfire Grill in downtown Hettinger, was a boat rocking success! Over 135 people attended the largest fundraiser of the year for the local WRHS Foundation – and helped raise almost $38,000 net!!! You read that right, the goal was to raise $20,000 net for renovations to 42 resident rooms at Western Horizons Care Center – but via ticket sales, silent and live auctions, business and family pledges and gifts on this night, the goal was easily surpassed.
The Woodfire Grill was decorated with the Hettinger High School prom decorations, including a ship with a hole in it for the Grand Marchers to walk through, various masts, anchors, and the steering wheel placed throughout the intimate nightclub. Prom-goers began filing in at 5:00pm for the social and silent auction. Kennedy’s Fresh Foods provided an amazing appetizer array including meaty thick sandwiches, creamy macaroni salads, smokeys, amazing dip, brownies and scruncheroos! Of course, Suzie’s Woodfire was staffed via the Jesfjeld boys and ready with refreshments for everyone!
At 7pm the traditional “Grand March” began, where 35 gorgeous couples were announced to the crowd and began the traditional prom tunnel. Once everyone was announced and had their photos taken by guest photographer Amanda Reimer, the prom tunnel continued and the music began. As did the dancing. Hot Trax, a local music caterer, owned and operated by Nolan Dix and Terry Spratta, kept the music hopping throughout the evening. The Laboratory and Housekeeping Departments started the dancing with their now traditional circle dance, where everyone dances in a big circle with an individual performer taking the center now and then. They had FUN! Not sure if Orby or Toots had the most fun, but it was certainly enjoyed by all!
The Live Auction began around 8pm, with the first item being an NDSU championship signed football, donated back by 5 sensational local businessmen (Anthony Larson, Dr. Chris Schauer, Dr. Steve Kilwein, John Scherbenske and Gary Dewhirst). They had purchased this signed football at the memorial for Dylan Jahner a few years ago and wanted to pay it forward. How appropriate and satisfying that Dylan’s parents, Jennifer and Rich Jahner, purchased this item. Overall, there were 22 Live Auction items including the following items and their sponsors: vacation trips to Mesa, Arizona (from Jodi Uecker/Ted & Sheri Uecker), Lake Sakakawea (Dennis & Dava Rustan), and UND hockey games (Dr. Cathy Houle and Todd Shirek); awesome Broncos, NDSU Bison and Minnesota Twins tables and a walnut wine/liquor rack (created by woodworking artist Matt Parnow and sponsored by the WRHS Foundation); a Broilmaster Outdoor Grill and Smoker (Lodgepole Store, Dick & Mary Vliem); 6 Terry Redlin labeled wines (Dennis & Dava Rustan); a Drone with Video Camera (Dr. Mark & Lanae Kristy, WRHS Radiology Department); a Cub Cadet Zero Turn Radius Mower and Gasless Weed Eater (provided at cost from AgPro Equipment to the WRHS Foundation); 42 steaks and 40 pounds of hamburger in a cooler on wheels (Uecker Yards Inc., Ted & Sheri Uecker); 6 months fresh cut flower bouquets (Prairie Rose Floral, Alyssa Fitch & Kane Melling); a Craftsman tool chest (Ted & Sheri Uecker); Indian Dinner for 6 (cooked by Mark & Gracia Prischmann); NDSU Bison cornhole boards (Pastime Steakhouse, Chris & Tricia Parnow, Rochelle Shirek); Terry Redlin artwork (Dennis & Dava Rustan); an exquisite maple burl bowl (created by Duey Marthaller); a statue of whitetail bucks (from John White); and an NDSU 5-time Champions Jacket (Ted & Sheri Uecker). The Live Auction raised a grand total of $18,165; a net total of $14,165. Thank you to all of the amazing gifters and bidders! The six highest selling items were the Cub Cadet mower at $2,850; the Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 Champions table at $1,800; the Mesa, Arizona Trip at $1,575; the signed NDSU football at $1,150; and both the BroilMaster Outdoor Grill and the UND Hockey Trip at $1,050 each.
The Silent Auction began at 5:00pm and ran throughout the evening. Exactly thirty minutes after the Live Auction, the silent auction sheets were collected and the winners decided. The Silent Auction raised $2,270! There were 22 Silent Auction items including the following and who donated them: Terry Redlin artwork (John White), a homemade quilt (Lutheran Church Lady Quilters), a lunch for 4 at Kathleen Brackel’s flower garden and a champagne breakfast for 4 on the patio at Sheri Uecker’s; Joseph Joseph kitchen utensils (KB Jewelers), Minnesota Twins and Brantley Gilbert tickets (KNDC); Black Hills gold necklace and earings (Wheeler Manufacturing, via Brian & Neva Scoular), 4 bottles of spiced Rum (Woodfire Grill), homemade wine (Sarah Chadwick) and artwork/wine box art (Cherie Huiner); Adams County Record Subscription; NDSU iron artwork (Anthony & Jody Larson), Spray Paint Artwork by Tanner Fitch (Prairie Rose Floral); 2 dozen golf balls and sorting stick (Dacotah Bank); Rodan & Fields Gift Certificate (Erin Stadheim); Honey Basket (T/2 Honey Company, Alan & Erin Timm); Hunting dog artwork (Ted & Sheri Uecker); LED flower arrangement and vase (Southwest Healthcare Services); Massage by Sharon Silkman; Fabric Basket and Property Brothers tickets at Fargo Design Show (Dr. Carrie & Dr. Josh Ranum); and Amanda Reimer Massages. All of our Silent Auction items brought from $40-$200; with the following being the largest sellers: Twins Tickets and Lunch for 4 at Kathleen Brackel’s ($200 each); necklace and earings ($160); and Amanda ReimerMassage, Sharon Silkman Massage and T/2 Honey Basket ($150 each). Once again, thank you to all of our amazing gifters and bidders!
New CEO Matt Shahan welcomed everyone to the 2nd Annual Adult Prom and made a $1,000 gift to the Foundation, if three people would match his gift in increments of $500, $250 and $250. Immediately Dr. Cathy Houle and Todd Shirek gave $500; Ted & Sheri Uecker donated $250, as did Neva & Brian Scoular. Matt raised $2,000 in less than 30 seconds! Now that’s what we call making things happen for West River. Thank you Matt. We, the community of Hettinger, welcome you, your wife, Katie and your two girls, Harper & Rhyan, back home.
In addition to “Matt’s Match,” we had four gifts from area businesses and families: Dakota Frontier Cooperative pledged $6,000; West River Veterinary Clinic pledged $2,500; RZ Motors pledged $2,500; and the Uecker Girls (Bobbi, Susie, Tami & Jodi) pledged $2,500 in Memory of their mom, Nancy Beth. Combined, this created another $13,500 for Western Horizons. Thanks.
Various forms of dancing, including line dancing, circle dancing, slow dancing, jitterbugging, and rock n roll continued throughout the evening until almost 1:00am! The commeraderie was terrific! It was a super fun time for everyone who attended.
The best dressed couple of the night definitely goes to Chris and Tricia Parnow – our Pirates from the Pastime! Both were decked out in pirate clothes and hats – plus Chris had a hook and a parrot! Awesome! Thank you for adding spice to the traditional suits, tuxedos and dresses!
Special thank you’s go out to Sheri Uecker, Cindy Ham and Amanda Reimer for their creative prom decorating skills; Erin Timm for all of your computer work designing all of the silent and live auction sheets, plus the registration sheets; Cindy Ham for creating the posters, tickets and advertisements; Lemmon Livestock Inc. for supplying all of the bidding cards; Kim Schalesky, Sandy Muth, the front desk staff at the Hettinger Clinic, and the KB Jewelers staff for selling Adult Prom tickets; Kane Melling and Chris Parnow for your help with moving and showing all of the Live Auction items; Chuck Christman for auctioneering the Live Auction for the 2nd year in a row (even if you have to put up with Ted taking lower bids!); Nolan Dix and Terry Spratta with Hot Trax for supplying the sensational musical beats throughout the evening; Amanda Reimer for all of her terrific photography during the Grand March and Portrait Photography thereafter; and Sam & Jens Jesfjeld and their staff at the Woodfire Grill for allowing us to host our event at their stylish intimate facility.
This was a night to remember. Thank you Hettinger and surrounding area for helping us raise funds for our Western Horizons Care Center. Your purchasing of tickets, your gifts to our silent and live auctions, your purchases of these items – it all helped us surpass our Adult Prom fundraising goal.
After this 2nd Annual Adult Prom, we are closing in on $114,000 raised toward our $145,500 goal to renovate the individual resident rooms at Western Horizons. If you would like to visit about how you, your family, your business or your organization could join the “One Room At a Time Together” Campaign, please don’t hesitate to call Ted Uecker at 701-567-3666. He is more than willing to visit with anyone about this worthwhile cause. Let’s keep our healthcare close to home and top-notch. Onward!