News

Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation hosted the “Boots & Bar-B-Que” fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 29, at Big Iron Town in Pleasant Hill. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase a trauma patient simulator for the ongoing training and preparedness of Cass Regional’s Emergency Department staff and area EMS professionals. The fundraising goal of Boots & Bar-B-Que and the upcoming Celebration Basket Raffles is $60,000, and over $42,000 was raised at the dinner event.

More than 190 guests attended the event and had the opportunity to bid on seventy-five silent auction items and six live auction items as well as participate in eighteen raffles. Look-alike contest participants included Bing Schimmelpfenning as Woody (from Toy Story) and Ed Roberts as Willie Nelson. Caricature art was provided by Harrison Weathers.

The emcee of the event was Foundation Board President T.R. Hoefle and the invocation was given by Foundation Board Member Fred Kidd. Bret Brown served as the auctioneer for the live auction. Jack Hudkins, MD, FACS, medical director of trauma services at Cass Regional, also shared remarks regarding the trauma patient simulator’s potential impact on patient care.

Commerce Bank was the presenting sponsor and Health Care Associated Emergency Physicians was the gold sponsor. The silver level sponsors were BKD, Hays Companies of Kansas City, HCA Midwest Health, Healogics, HFMD Properties, Dr. Mary A. Luce and Mr. Jeff Gorosh, Seigfreid Bingham and United Imaging Consultants. Bronze level sponsors were Cass County Elks Lodge, Country Club Bank, Hawthorn Bank, HMN Architects, Mr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Lang, Medtrak Services, Sherwood Community Bank, Tonkovic Dermatology, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Wallace, and Mr. and Mrs. Loyd “Sonny” Wiseman.

The Boots & Bar-B-Que steering committee members are Carole Arnold, Denise Ashby-Cohen, Ethy Christman, Leigh Ann Friedrich, Kathee Glodowski, T.R. Hoefle, Cricket Kroenke, Carol Looney, Bing Schimmelpfenning, Martha Sims, Gina Smith and Carol Welborn.

The Foundation’s efforts to raise funds for the simulator will continue with the Celebration Basket Raffles. The Celebration Baskets are donated by Cass Regional employees and volunteers, as well as community groups and businesses. Additional items, including a western-themed hall tree, a custom Adirondack bench with cooler and a pair of handcrafted cedar planters will also be raffled. All members of the public are invited to participate. The baskets will be on display in the Rotunda at Cass Regional from May 8 through May 12. Raffle tickets will be sold Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 6 a.m. to noon. The drawings will be held at noon on Friday, May 12, and participants need not be present to win.

For more information, contact Melissa Lattin at 816.380.5888, ext. 4810, or email mlattin@cassregional.org.