HopeFest 8, a fundraiser benefitting cancer patients of Northern Nevada, returned for its eighth year Friday night at the Carson Tahoe Cancer center, but before the fundraiser had even began employees of Carson Tahoe raised $30,000 in the few months leading up to the benefit.
HopeFest’s grand raffle prize is sponsored by Dick Campagni’s Dealership Group. The raffle winner will have a choice of $10,000 cash or a brand-new car from Toyota or Ford.
All proceeds from food, drink, and raffle ticket sales went towards cancer patient support.
These funds benefit the critical needs of cancer patients that go beyond the hospital, such as gas to get to treatment, no-cost lodging at the Merriner Cottages, and help with insurance co-pays and life-saving medications.
Since 2011, the Carson Tahoe Health Foundation has raised over $575,000 in direct patient support.
A total of $166,860.85 has been paid in insurance premiums and co-pays; $191,857.09 has been sent to mortgage, rental, and utility companies on behalf of patients; and $87,000 has been given to patients in the form of gas cards.
Lagunitas Brewing Company donated 100 percent of the beer at the event, so that the money from each drink purchased would go directly towards cancer patients of Northern Nevada.
Different departments of the hospital, such as the Emergency Room, the Cancer Center, and more, took part in the event by dressing up in a theme unique to their department and participating in a parade.
The employees of Carson-Tahoe Hospital's commitment to the event is the most impressive part of the fundraiser, as this year they raised $30,000 on their own through bake sales, "Dunk-A-Doc," a Dayton Rap Rave, Slushy Sales, and more.
Dunk-A-Doc alone raised $2,300 in a few hours. Doctors were put into dunk tanks and people could either do their best to knock them in the old fashion way, with a good throwing arm, or pay $100 to just push the button and drop them in.
"Nurses were lined up in the parking lot waiting to participate," said Director of Customer Experience & Foundation Development Kitty McKay. "They found out when each doctor was going to be going in."
The Emergency Room raised shoe donations as their part in fundraising, because when enough shoes are raised, they are donated to third world countries to help start "micro-entrepreneurs." Then they are rewarded with $1,000, which is donated into HopeFest.
"These are the people cleaning your room, checking you in, ER room physicians; everyone joined in to help raise money for the cause," said McKay.
So far, HopeFest has raised $575,000 since it's beginning in 2010. Normally they net about $120,000 each year.
100 percent of everything that is raised goes directly to serving Northern Nevada and California cancer patients. So far, over 250,000 patients have been served.
This includes putting patients up in the Merriner Cottages at no cost to them while they receive chemo if they cannot afford to travel back and forth from their rural communities to undergo treatment. The funds can also go towards gas, the free Cancer Resource Center, and the treatments themselves.
"What I think is really powerful about HopeFest is that every dollar is for our community. It's for the needs people have that go beyond the hospital. There's not a lot of hospitals that have cottages you can stay for free, or dedicates all these resources to have gas money to get here. It's really very powerful."
Being diagnosed with cancer can be one of the most devastating parts in a person's life, and knowing that there are resources to help can take a lot of worry and stress off of a patient.
"For most people, it's the scariest time in their life," said McKay, "and then to see all of these people who come here to this event, who are strangers to you, to care enough to carry you through your journey, that's the healing."
Last year at HopeFest 7, Tyrone Wells' song "Make it Through" was the anthem of the event, and this year the new anthem he just wrote called "Rise Again" with be the new anthem of the year.
Tyrone Wells is a singer/songwriter in the folk-pop genre from Spokane, WA. His songs have been featured in television shows (Intervention, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Rescue Me, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries) and film (Everyone's Hero, My Sister's Keeper, Rails & Ties). Wells has had the number one iTunes Singer-Songwriter album and has ranked in the Top Ten iTunes overall.
"It's really touching to see the community come out to support in this way," said Chauntelle Murphy, who was attending the event for the first time. "It's so heartwarming to know there are people that are good and supportive of those that need help."
The winners of the Parade will be announced Monday morning.