LAURINBURG — Hundreds of people gathered at the campus of Scotland Memorial Hospital on Saturday evening for a record-breaking “Putting on the Ritz: A Gala of Giving.”
The event was in its 26th year and guests enjoyed the magical transformation of a parking lot into a ballroom for attendees to help raise money for the Scotland Memorial Foundation.
This year, more than $90,000 was raised for the Fund the Need in support of the Charles L. “Chuck” Hicks Memorial Fund, which supports cardiovascular patients with financial concerns by providing transportation, scales, blood pressure cuffs, and other essential items.
Attendees were shown a video of a Scotland County patient named Lisa who suffered from congestive heart failure and, after leaving the hospital, she was given a LifeVest to wear. She told about how she was in her front yard alone when her heart stopped again and, if it wasn’t for that, she would have been dead in her yard.
“Here in Scotland County we have a high rate of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. William Harris. “We have an opportunity to literally save lives tonight. In Scotland County, the CDC says that the second and third leading cause of death for men is heart attack or stroke. The primary number one cause of death for women in Scotland County is heart attack.”
As numbers are still being added up for both the Fund the Need and from the other fundraisers, Foundation Executive Director Kirsten Dean was thrilled by the generosity of those there.
“I have no words — I am in awe, I am humbled, I am grateful,” Dean said. “Last year was a record and we broke that. Thank you isn’t enough. I am eternally grateful for their generosity and for the people that they are able to help.”
Last year Fund the Need raised $84,250 for supporting Hurricane Florence disaster relief in the local area.
Guests were able to donate by bidding on silent and live auction items as well as trying their luck with the Wine Wall from $20 to $100 with some having including trips to different destinations as well as through the Ritz Raffle which was drawn at the end of the night.
The winner of the Ritz Raffle was Paul Lemon, who will choose between $10,000 in cash, a John Deere riding lawnmower or a 2019 Hyundai Tucson.
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com
