Wrangell Medical Center is gearing up for its 10th annual golf tournament and fundraiser dinner, proceeds from which will go toward several initiatives of its Foundation.
Coupled with Saturday’s banquet and auction, the Brian Gilbert Memorial Golf Tournament is one of the biggest drives benefiting the WMC Foundation each year, with the weekend last year raising just under $30,000. The Foundation is the hospital’s philanthropic arm and in the past such weekends have supported two of the Foundation’s ongoing initiatives.
One of these is its cancer care fund, a grant which helps defray costs incurred by patients seeking cancer treatment. The $1,000 grant is open to any resident of Southeast Alaska, specifically helping with travel and lodging.
The other initiative is the WMCF scholarship, now in its third year. With awards supporting studies in the medical field, this year the scholarship will be going to three graduating high school students.
“This year we’re actually adding a third thing that we’re working on,” added WMC outreach director Kris Reed.
An account to be managed by the Foundation board has recently been set up to support efforts to construct new facilities for the hospital. That effort is being directed by the hospital board itself, with a financial feasibility assessment and initial building plan expected within the next month. Money diverted to the construction account will be set aside until work starts moving on the building’s development.
The main tournament and dinner will take place this Saturday, though an evening “warm up” tournament will be held Friday evening at Muskeg Meadows Golf Course. Registration for Saturday’s tourney begins at 8 a.m., with play scheduled to begin an hour later.
The tournament will be a nine-hole, “best ball” for teams of four golfers. Admission fees are $45 per person, though a dual tournament-dinner ticket can be purchased for $75, a $15 savings on buying the two individually.
It wouldn’t be much of a tournament without prizes, which together stand at $2,500. For the first place team, players will win $250 apiece. Second place players will receive $175, with $95, $60 and $45 going to each of the third, fourth and fifth place players, respectively.
“We still have two chances to win $2,500 for a hole-in-one,” Reed added. So far the prize hasn’t been claimed. “We’ve had one person come close.”
Wrapping up Saturday afternoon, the tournament will be followed by a fundraiser and auction at the Nolan Center. The doors open at 5 p.m., and guests will be invited to inspect a number of different items going under the gavel later on.
“Quite a different collection of things that we’ve pulled together,” Reed commented. There will be two quilts and a wall-hanging, five different guns, and assorted art and glassware that have been contributed.
Some of the large items include two system-wide round-trip tickets with Alaska Airlines, good for most any destination within its network except for Cuba. Also up for auction will be a pair of Monday night football tickets for the Seahawks-Falcons game on November 20, held in Seattle.
There are vacation packages as well. One is a four-day trip package to California’s Napa Valley, which includes a wine blending class at a Sonoma winery. The other is a four-night stay at a luxury resort at Nuevo Vallarta in Mexico. “It could be two parents and two children,” said Reed, booking an apartment with a kitchen, private pool, and access to numerous beaches, golf courses, clubs and restaurants.
There will be one more surprise as well.
“Being our 10th annual, we’re lucky to have David Goodman back,” said Reed. The Chicago auctioneer entertains too, performing magic tricks while people bid on the various items. Goodman served as auctioneer for the WMCF dinner several years ago, and left a good impression. “It’s been a lot of fun, that particular event.”
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