Surviving Hearts fundraiser a success

 The fifth annual Surviving Hearts fundraiser on Saturday brought out a generous crowd to support the nonprofit with its mission of financially assisting cancer patients.

 The event for the cancer support group was held at the Sunnyside Farms, a park-like setting of trees and grass surrounded by farm fields south of Weiser. The James Gang provided the evening’s musical entertainment and volunteers cooked a tri-tip dinner and all the fixings.

 Through ticket sales for the dinner and silent and live auctions, the annual Surviving Hearts fundraiser brings in thousands of dollars to assist local cancer patients with everything from gas cards to co-pays for medication to help with power bills.

 After dinner, auctioneers Wayne Overton and Bob Hogg, with JBS Auctions, and assisted by Miss Snake River Valley Outstanding Teen Mikayla Schumacher, got the bidding going on a number of donated items and the checkbooks came out. 

 A tray of homemade cinnamon rolls was the first item auctioned and brought $90 from Rep. Ryan Kerby, a state lawmaker from New Plymouth who represents Weiser and Washington County. A living tree that was decorated with $200 worth of lottery tickets brought more than $900 from one bidder.

 Other unique items up for bid included a stay at a cabin in the Elkhorn mountains, a cabin stay in McCall a block from the Lake with a private beach, Snake River Stampede ticket package,  Pendleton Round Up ticket package, two handcrafted wooden benches, a propane bbq pit, a bbq package with 40 lbs of hamburger, $500 tires donated by commercial tire, two handmade quilts, homemade sweets, Weiser candy, Pendleton Whiskey let er buck chair and lots of related items, Bear Valley rafting trip on the Payette river.

 For the first four fundraisers, which were held at a ranch north of Weiser, a portion of the proceeds went to the planned respite house for cancer patients at St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute in Fruitland. Over the four years of fundraisers, Surviving Hearts was able to contribute $40,000 to the respite house project.

 Shellie Colvard, who founded Surviving Hearts with her husband Paul six years ago, told the crowd at the fundraiser that construction on the respite house started with a groundbreaking on July 18.

 Dr. Sarah Bolender, a radiation oncologist at MSTI, has been one of the respite house project’s biggest boosters. She has described it as a “home away from home” for cancer patients seeking treatment at MSTI and their families, many of whom drive long distances.

 “It was a dream come true to see those bulldozers come in,” she said.

 Bolender treats cancer patients at MSTI in Fruitland that travel from rural areas for radiation and chemotherapy. Patients come from all over the region, including LaGrande, Ore.,  and Burns, Ore. to the east, Grangeville to the north and elsewhere.  

 The respite house facility will be located adjacent to St. Luke’s MSTI and when completed will offer eight guest rooms and two family rooms that patients and their families can stay in during their treatments. The site will have five RV spaces with full hookups for patients to stay on the MSTI campus. It will also have a tranquility garden, a quiet area to visit.