‘Comfort through chaos’

MOSES LAKE — The worst part of some people’s lives will be their fight with cancer, but the crowd at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday night was ready and able to help them through it. 

The Country Sweethearts benefit banquet and auction brought in more than $300,000 to support cancer patients and their families, according to Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation Executive Director Angel Ledesma. This is the 16th year for the event and the 25th anniversary of the CBCF’s founding, Ledesma said. 

“I cannot say enough how heartwarming it is to see such an (outpouring) of community support,” Ledesma wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “It is truly overwhelming and deeply moving.” 

The auction took up two big buildings at the fairgrounds, one for the dinner and live auction and the other for the silent auction items and assorted other fundraisers. As usual, the event had a western theme, and boots, fringed jackets and cowboy hats were everywhere to be seen. 

The evening started with hors d’oeuvres by Michael’s on the Lake and beverages by Shenanigenz, along with a photo booth by Pic Happy. There was plenty of time for attendees to look over silent auction items, pick out their favorites and place their bids. 

“We really believe in this organization and the cause that they represent, because they're really good people,” said Lisa McCarty, who was checking out auction items with Tara Newton. “I've known a lot of people personally that have benefited from this organization.” 

The Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation uses the money raised at the auction for fuel cards, lodging and food for people who have to travel for cancer treatments. It also supplies bone broth and other easy-to-digest food for people who have trouble eating after chemotherapy. 

Besides the auctions, there were a few other ways to contribute. One was through a raffle that allowed a lucky winner to take home one of the silent auction items without having to outbid everyone else. Another was the cocktail frenzy, a new addition to the event this year.  

The cocktail frenzy was technically a silent auction item but handled a little differently. Attendees could bid at stands set up for three restaurants — ENZO, Pillar Rock Grill and Michael’s on the Lake — and after the drawing, the donors’ bartender would come to the high bidder’s table and make a special drink for the entire table. 

“We’re making a hillbilly huckleberry lemonade,” said Cambree Letkamen, who was mixing for Pillar Rock. “It's a shot and a half of the huckleberry vodka, fresh muddled raspberries, blackberries and lemon, and then we'll top it with some lemonade.” 

The auction usually involves a paddle raise for donations over and above the auction, for people who don’t necessarily want to bid on something but do want to help. This year there was an additional twist: Four Seattle Mariners tickets had been donated, and bidders could raise their paddle as many times as they liked at $100 a raise, and the last paddle won the tickets. That alone raised more than $10,000, Ledesma wrote. 

Dinner featured a buffet of barbecued chicken, prime rib and assorted sides served up by Michael’s on the Lake, followed by desserts by Cow Path Bakery of Othello. Sunshine Performing Arts sang “Rise Up,” introduced by young cancer survivor Parker Davies. The evening ended with dancing and live music from the local band Whiskey River. 

Michele Tupen, a cancer survivor and a chaplain for the Moses Lake Police Department, delivered the blessing before dinner and also spoke about her own cancer journey.  

“I received the dreaded phone call a little over a year ago following a mammogram,” Tupen said. “I was shocked. I felt great, I was active and looking forward to all sorts of fun summer plans with friends and family, and that came to a halt.” 

Tupen had been diagnosed with “stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma,” she said, meaning that the cancer cells had spread beyond the milk ducts in the breast. Those cells can break into the lymph nodes or bloodstream, and then spread throughout the body, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Tupens’ first call was to the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation, where they found the support they needed for Michele’s four months of chemotherapy in the form of protein shakes, gift cards and bone broth. 

“I learned that seasons in the wilderness either bring clarity or chaos,” she said. “I learned … how to stand on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where storms once raged and Jesus spoke of peace. I learned that finding comfort through chaos is possible because true comfort isn't just the absence of fear or freedom from the anxiety or escape from reality. True comfort is finding rest in the storms that rage as all the questions remain unanswered.” 

Auctioneer Chuck Yarbro Jr. opened up about his own bout with cancer before starting the bidding. 

“Friends, in November 2020, I was diagnosed with cancer, and my first instinct was to lock it down and say, ‘I'm going to fight this thing and beat this thing. I (didn’t) want anybody knowing that I was vulnerable,’” Yarbro said. “I'm telling you right now that is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life … You have an organization here that will walk through this, through this thing called cancer, and get you out on the other end. Take advantage of it. Use it if you need it. And for God's sake, tonight let's support it.” 

    Auctioneers Chuck Yarbro Jr., right, and Jacob Barth take bids at the Country Sweethearts Auction Saturday.
  

    Callie Ganiere, right, and Ashley O’Bright sell raffle tickets at the annual Country Sweethearts banquet and auction Saturday. Between the raffle tickets, the auctions and other fundraisers, the event raised more than $300,000.
  

    Young Parker Davies, right, backed up by Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation Executive Director Angel Ledesma, introduces Sunshine Performing Arts at the Country Sweethearts auction Saturday.
  

    Moses Lake Police Department Chaplain Michele Tupen, left, supported by her husband Cris, shares her cancer story before delivering the blessing at the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation’s Country Sweethearts dinner and auction Saturday.
  

    Local band Whiskey River closes out the Country Sweethearts Auction Saturday night.