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closeGlitzy gala raises funds
Red carpet event brings out the community to raise money
Chris Albert
The Northwest Corks and Crush is quickly becoming a hot ticket item in Puyallup.
“I think it’s the quality of cause,” said Cecil Snodgrass, Chief of Medical Staff at Good Samaritan Hospital. “I think Puyallup has matured as a community and this shows that.”
More than 520 people attended the sold out event on June 21 at the Puyallup Fair and Events Center ShowPlex.
The second year fundraiser raised more than $530,000 for the Puyallup Fair Scholarship Fund and the Good Samaritan Foundation. The funds help support scholarship opportunities for local students and the Children’s Therapy Unit at Good Samaritan.
“I think last year’s event surprised a lot of people,” said Mike Nelson, event co-chair, explaining the inaugural gala raised $436,000 for the organizations. “People have a lot of passion for those organizations.”
Plans for the gala started as a kitchen table discussion, said Greg Gustafson, event co-chair. It evolved from “wouldn’t that be nice” to a “must attend event,” he said.
“We were hoping we could get a couple hundred people there and raise a couple hundred thousand dollars,” said, but the immediate draw has been remarkable.
It just shows the generosity of people, he said.
“I think we were fortunate that in the first year we hit a home run,” said Jamie Gregory, with the Good Samaritan Foundation. “Because of that it created a community event people wanted.”
The event had an all Northwest flair, with wine tasting from 16 different Washington Wineries, classic car displays form local collectors, diner from Gig Harbor’s Snuffin’s Catering and auction items highlighting things to do in the Northwest.
“We wanted to keep it a Washington flavor and a community event,” Gregory said.
The Puyallup Fair Foundation has been very supportive of agricultural education and Washington wine is one of the fastest growing agriculture industries in the state, he said.
Some of the featured auction items included a private jet trip to Walla Walla to enjoy a weekend of food and wine and a weekend wine tour on Red Mountain in Yakima.
Guests were treated to a red carpet entrance, a cocktail hour with wine tasting and a live auction dinner accompanied by a musical performance.
It’s become an event where the community has shown that East Pierce County can compete with anyone in how they support local organizations, Gregory said.
“This community is incredibly supportive anyway,” said John Long, Good Samaritan Hospital president. “(But) it is unbelievable.”
It’s a great cause right here in Puyallup, said Puyallup City Councilmember Kathy Turner.
Attire for the event was a mix of black-tie and cowboy, with many guest wearing their tuxes with cowboy boots and cowboy hats.
“It shows we can do both,” Turner said.
The commitment the community has made to benefit The Fair scholarship program and the Good Samaritan Foundation rivals any large metropolitans have, she said.
“It’s almost like a renaissance,” Turner said. “ We are really excited about what’s happening.”
With the expansion of Good Samaritan Hospital, the health care provider will be the regional medical center for the area, she said.
“It’s going to meet and beat our expectations both in service and structure,” Turner said.
The gala also marked the official announcement of Good Samaritan Hospital’s partnership with the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. More than $200,000 of the funds raised will go to the Fund A Need program for the Mary Bridge unit. A Mary Bridge unit should open at the Puyallup hospital by the end of the year.
The partnership opens the kind of quality care and services for children that Mary Bridge is known for, said Karen Baker, director of pediatrics at Good Samaritan.
“This is going to be wonderful for our families to be able to partner with Mary Bridge,” she said.