The Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary Oct. 11 raised $8,500 to go toward lab equipment at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital (EKRH) during their annual Thrift Store Fashion Show & Silent Auction at the Heritage Inn.

The show featured dazzling outfits and items donated by the community to the Thrift Store in downtown Cranbrook.

For more than 30 years, the Fashion Show & Silent Auction has been a major social event and fundraiser for the Health Care Auxiliary, in support of the Hospital in Cranbrook.

This year’s event featured 12 models who took to the “Cat Walk” in 36 outfits up for auction that were created by fashions donated to our Thrift Store. Our sold out crowd of 160 guests enjoyed appetizers and a glass of wine or a beer with their admission to the show, and of course the night of haute couture and Silent Auction items to bid on.

More than $8500 was raised from the show and will go towards our total commitment of over $350,000 that will be used to purchase very necessary up to date diagnostic equipment for the Laboratory at the EKR Hospital. Some of the items that will be purchased are 2 Hematology Analyzers at $95,000 each and a Histology Processor @ $86,280. This equipment will allow the technicians to analyze a far greater number of samples and the need to ship hematology tests out of our area will be greatly reduced. This will definitely speed up the process and result in faster patient diagnosis.

The Health Care Auxiliary has committed to raise $350,000 for lab equipment for this year.

Fashion Show profit, along with the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign funds, donations and Thrift Store and Hospital Gift Shop proceeds allows the volunteers to raise these funds annually for EKRH.

“This equipment is going to be vital in the diagnostic process and will confirm results of test in a much shorter period,” said Health Care Auxiliary member Kate Fox.

One item in the fashion show set a new record for value of a purchase during the annual fundraising event; a mink coat valued at $3,000 sold for $1,000.

“Mom received the mink coat from her husband at Christmas 1983 – 35 years ago. She donated this coat to the thrift store as she had volunteered there for a short time,” noted the coat donors Debbie and Shelley. “The family is very excited to know how much the coat sold for at the show and are pleased to have this donation going towards a very worthy cause.”

The Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary would like to thank the all those in Cranbrook and the surrounding areas who bought tickets to our event and who support both our Thrift Store & Gift Shop.

Very special thanks go to the following businesses and individuals for helping make our 2018 “Year of the LAB” Fashion Show & Silent Auction fundraiser a great success.

Auctioneers –  Jason Wheeldon & Laurie Goodlad;

Cranbrook Fire Department Fire Fighters – Gregory Green, Parker Dorris, & Fergus Spowart;

Hair & Make-Up – E-LU Salon and Spa, Lori & Kayla Pocha, & Jasmine Wallace;

Bridge Interiors – Ken Bridge;

The Heritage Inn;

The Kootenay ICE;

Kootenay Kwik Print.

Photos by Carrie Schafer/e-KNOW

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