Fortieth Annual RHSHC Aux. Quilt Auction surpasses goal

CRESCO -A year’s planning, hard work and delivery brought good things to the table for Regional Health Services of Howard County 40th Annual Hospital Auxiliary Quilt Auction. The auction, held on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, was started under the big tent as the “expected” deluge of rain.

 

Opening Comments

RHSHC, CEO, Robin Schluter greeted the full house with, “This is the annual rainy quilt auction. We have plans to use the money raised here today for blood banking equipment. The equipment we have works but they no longer make parts for it. Technology is moving very fast and we need to keep up with it to provide the best patient care we can. Dr. Jensen will be talking about this in a little more detail but he had a baby to deliver and said he will be here in five. I’d like to thank Carol Foley, the Chair for this event. I’d also like to thank the committee members as volunteers we have here today. We have 108 quilts this year. We’d also like to thank the donors and artisans, whom without them we wouldn’t have a quilt auction.”

Just as promised Dr. Paul Jensen made his way to the risers to share, “After last year we thought when the farmers need rain we just need to schedule the quilt auction. This year has brought the same to us. The machine you are sponsoring today is the analyzer that is used to see if the blood from the person who will be receiving the transfusion and the blood from the bank is compatible or not. We need to use units that are compatible so we can very safely give that blood.”

 

 The Auction

 The auction started out with the announcement of auctioneers and ring men/women. Wayne Mlady, took to the stage to start the bidding. Mlady tag-teamed with Danny Donlan throughout the nearly four-hour auction.

 The Pink Dahlia full bed quilt donated by Bootie Kapler started off the day. Bidding was often intense as the last two at the table wrangled for the high bid. Fun was also at hand when the three state colleges also came to play in the form of placemats. Six placemats per college came in with a high bid of $175 for the University of Northern Iowa, followed by both Iowa State and the University of Iowa bringing in $100 each.

Two sleepers brought in some aggressive bidding. Those quilts were the 50” x 65” Beauty and the Beast quilt made by Ellen Murphy. 

 

 

 

The 72” x 57” Labyrinth made by RHSHC Laboratory Staff.

They brought $900 and $1,000 respectively.

 Quilts bringing in $1,000 plus included Bible Sampler by Cresco United Methodist Women ($2,300), Stars over the Prairie by employees of Cresco Bank & Trust ($1,650), Hopscotch made by Jill Ryan and Margaret Ward, quilted by Connie Zahasky and donated by Notre Dame Catholic Church ($1,800) and Labyrinth, Dahlia, donated by Lime Springs Mennonite Sewing Circle ($1,450).

Special moments were announced, one of them being as the last of the donated quilt hangers by Gentry Leeps were auctioned off. Another was a bed quilt by Elsbeth Richter, deceased, who was still hand quilting quilts when she was 97 years old.

 “These will be the last of the quilt hangers by Gentry Leeps,” said Dr. Paul Jensen. “I think he’s kind of retired now and so if you want one this would be the time.”

 Wrapping things up

 The $30,000 goal was met and surpassed at around quilt #96 out of 108 when Dr. Jensen took to the risers for the announcement. The days total was $32,375.

Moving things along and to quilt #108 it was announced that in the 40 years the quilt auction has taken place $615,247.11, to date, was raised for items for the local hospital.