"Light the Night" Hospice Gala Auction

Whatcom Hospice Foundation’s annual “Light the Night” Auction, held Saturday, November 14 at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, raised over $216,000, a new record for the event. Of this amount $50,000 will be used to construct a 12-bed Hospice House near Joe’s Gardens in Bellingham. Remaining net proceeds will support in-home services to terminally ill patients and their families.

The event was largely organized by volunteers, led by chairperson Sylvia Holmstrom. Since the theme of the auction was “Passport: Paris,” Jackson Helsloot recreated the base of the Eiffel Tower to adorn the entrance to Cruise Terminal Dome Room, where 275 guests were seated during the Live Auction. Gerald Baron painted a colorful backdrop for the stage, wait staff from the Big Fat Fish Co. dressed up as Parisian street mimes, and little touches of France were visible everywhere. Over 400 items were sold during the live and silent auctions. Most impressive, however, is the fact that over $101,000 was raised in outright donations through the Fund-a-Need auction and Dessert Dash!

“The spirit of community generosity was tangible,” said Whatcom Hospice Foundation Executive Director, Mike Kirkland. “It is so touching to see this incredible outpouring of support for Hospice services.”

This event would not have been possible without the support of the generous sponsors listed below.

Download the 2009 Program & Live Auction Catalog
Download the 2009 Silent Auction Preview Catalog

2009 SPONSORS

AUDIO/VISUAL SPONSOR

PRINT SPONSOR
Applied Digital Imaging

DIAMOND SPONSOR
Absorption Corporation
Yorkston Oil Company

EMERALD SPONSOR
BP Cherry Point Refinery
Peoples Bank
Puget Sound Energy

RUBY SPONSOR
Dawson Construction, Inc.
St. Francis of Bellingham
Whatcom Educational Credit Union
Doug & Lynn Wight, Windermere Management

SAPPHIRE SPONSOR
Orphalee Smith, CPA

PHOTOGRAPY
Jenna Marie Photograpy