Country Sweethearts to benefit cancer patients, families

MOSES LAKE — The 16th annual Country Sweethearts benefit auction is coming up Feb. 1 and it’s going to be a doozy, according to Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation Executive Director Angel Ledesma. 

“We're looking forward to a full house again,” Ledesma said. 

Last year Country Sweethearts occupied two buildings at the Grant County Fairgrounds, the 4-H Building and the Commercial Building, and even at that it was a full house with 540 guests seated in one building and the food, beverages and auction items in the other. This year the arrangement will be similar with a few minor changes, Ledesma said. Tickets are still available, she said, but they’re going fast. 

As in the past, dinner will be catered by Michael’s on the Lake and the live auction will be conducted by Chuck Yarbro Jr. Gård Vintners is the wine sponsor and other beverages will be supplied by Shenanigenz and Moses Lake Distillery. 

The list of auction items wasn’t finalized at press time, but Ledesma said there are a number of getaway packages, including to Leavenworth and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The auction will go live on the CBFC website Jan. 27, she said, allowing potential buyers to bid in advance of the actual event. 

"There is a live auction item you will not want to miss out on and the only info we can give you is 'get out the Aqua Net and get ready for a night of big hair, bold moves and all the ’80s nostalgia you can handle,'" Ledesma wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.

The entertainment will take a new turn this year, Ledesma said, as the local country band Whiskey River will perform live. 

“For the last two years they’ve done one of our live auction items, a private country music concert for a group of 25 people,” Ledesma said. “And we just asked them if they could play (at the auction).” 

In years past the auction has featured presentations by people who have benefited from the foundation’s help. Ledesma said there will be a special one this year but declined to give any details. 

This is the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation’s 25th year serving Grant and Adams counties, Ledesma wrote. Country Sweethearts is the Cancer Foundation’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in $318,000 last year. According to the Foundation’s website, the money goes for fuel and grocery cards for cancer patients who have to travel for treatment, meals delivered to patients, a monthly support group for patients, families and caregivers and head coverings for patients who have lost their hair to treatments. 

The funds raised at the auction are making a difference in the community, Ledesma said. The Foundation gives patients and their families more than $10,000 per month in gas and grocery cards. 

“On top of that, we also give out restaurant cards,” she said. “We have a partnership with local restaurants. You know, sometimes caregivers want to go out and get a little reprieve, or the client wants to go out to dinner. So, we do a lot of restaurant cards for their birthdays.” 

The CBCF has also added a Spanish-language support group along with its existing English-language group that meets every third Wednesday, she said. 

“And then (there’s) our Meals to Heal program, which is delivering meals to clients who are going through treatment,” Ledesma said. “We (have) volunteer drivers who go to Mattawa, Quincy, Othello. We were able to give 12 full Christmas dinners, including pies, for the holidays, and give out another 24 turkeys and hams. This program is just awesome, all supported by local people and feeding our clients in need.” 

With the opening of the radiation facility at Confluence Health in Moses Lake, the Foundation has begun helping with lodging for patients coming from outside Grant and Adams counties for treatment, Ledesma said. The CBCF has an arrangement with Ten Pin Inn and Suites for a special rate for medical travelers, she added. 

“(Our) big wish is, someday maybe the Cancer Foundation will have a house,” she said. “So if anybody wants to donate a house to us so we can keep clients there, we’ll take it.” 

Tickets can be purchased at the Cancer Foundation’s website, www.columbiabasincancerfoundation.org, or by calling the office at 509-764-4644. The Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation team members put their hearts into Country Sweethearts, Ledesma said, 

“It's been a rough year for those fighting cancer and for those we've lost, but for those who have prevailed too,” she said. “So all of us just love Country Sweetheart nights because … it warms our heart to think about all of this support and what we can do for our clients following the auction and for the rest of the year.” 

Country Sweethearts 

5 p.m. Feb. 1 

Grant County Fairgrounds 

3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake 

Info and tickets: 509-764-4644 

www.columbiabasincancerfoundation.org 

    Annabelle Magnuson talks about her breast cancer journey, backed by her husband Chris Magnuson and her daughters Maritza Magnuson, left, and Ashlyn Magnuson at last year’s Country Sweethearts benefit. Annabelle Magnuson had just completed her radiation treatment at the Confluence Health Moses Lake Radiation Oncology Center.
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    Haley Sell, left, and Amanda Carpenter sell raffle tickets at the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation’s 15th annual Country Sweethearts Benefit Auction last year.
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    The local country band Whiskey River will provide live music at this year’s Country Sweethearts benefit auction Feb. 1.
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