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Mercy Gala a 'Bonding' experience
About 600 people captured the spirit on Saturday evening at the 18th annual Mercy Health Center Foundation Gala.
Guests began arriving at the former Wal-Mart building, this year's gala site, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Many of the guests were dressed in formal attire; the women in cocktail dresses or floor-length gowns, complimented with elaborate hairstyles, and the men in a various array of attire.
The front of the gala site was bedecked with luxurious cars for party goers to behold as they approached the building's entrance. One of the cars displayed was a 1978 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, that was auctioned during the evening's events. Donita Barone, wife of Kansas Senator Jim Barone, purchased the vehicle for about $22,000. Tom Rost, an attorney for the previous owner's estate, will contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the car.
Upon entering the former Wal-Mart building, one might not believe that the building used to house a department store. The site was elegantly decorated, setting the scene for the evening's theme, "Diamonds are Forever." Guests flocked to a beverage area trimmed with greenery and staffed with bartenders ready to fulfill each gala attendee's request.
The bandstand, decorated to match the evening's theme, housed the members of the Kansas City-based band Private Stock who provided dance music throughout the evening. An chandelier hand made by Gala Steering Committee member Phyllis Hanken was suspended above the dance floor, adding to the elegance of the evening. The tables were decorated with enormous martini glasses. The martini-glass centerpiece on each table contained a floating candle, and under each glass was a nest of sheer black material laden with sparkling stones that resembled diamonds.
At 8 p.m., after most of the guests had arrived, event emcee Larry Gazaway cautioned all party-goers to remain in their seats. Unannounced, a helicopter descended from the sky, landed, and then Aaron Buerge, the star from the second season of the television program "The Bachelor" and the gala's James Bond for the evening, hopped out of the aircraft. His mission was to find a missing diamond in the crowd.
Buerge mounted a nearby motorcycle and sped into the building. After his dismount from the bike, he searched the crowd and found the missing diamond. This discovery led into the song, "Diamonds are Forever," written by John Barry and recorded by Shirley Bassey in 1972. Vocalist Summer Buerge performed the song, receiving enthusiastic applause.
With the completion of the preshow, Mercy Foundation President Ken Lunt welcomed the guests to the evening's events. Next, Mercy Health Center President and CEO John Woodrich discussed the benefits of the gala for the community. Sister Concetta Cardinale of the Sisters of Mercy offered the invocation for the evening.
Guests then lined up to fill their plates with carved roast beef, pork loin, vegetable salads, and fruit. For dessert, brownie bars in martini glasses were served.
Soon after dinner was finished, gala volunteers Kale Nelson, John and Cindy Bartelsmeyer and Larry Gazaway began the spinning of the wheel and awarded the prizes from the raffle. With all of the business of the evening out of the way, guests thronged the dance floor to sway to the tunes of Private Stock.
Mercy Health Center Marketing and Development Director Carla Farmer was pleased with the outcome of the evening.
"It was a wonderful evening. I heard many positive comments from the guests about the food, decorations, and entertainment," she said.
Lunt also was pleased with the evening's events.
"I think that everyone had a good time. It was a great success. The food was good and the entertainment was good," he said.
Lunt expressed his appreciation for the use of the former Wal-Mart building and also to those people who worked long hours setting up for the event and cleaning up after it's completion.
"It always creates extra work when you have to move the site," he said. "We moved it because the Doppler (forecast radar) called for rain. I really appreciate the owners of the former Wal-Mart building allowing us to use it. Also, the Mercy Hospital maintenance crew and the Mercy Hospital food service worked hard getting ready for the gala."
On Sunday morning, the steering committee assembled to begin the clean-up process. Some of the committee members are already making plans for next year's gala.
Lunt said he is proud of the community's support of the galas.
"These types of things show the strength of the community," he said.