Health Services Foundation auction is May 19

    HOULTON — The Health Services Foundation will host its second annual charity auction on Saturday, May 19, starting at 5 p.m. at York’s of Houlton. Joyce Transue, owner of the Courtyard Café in Houlton, will provide catering.
    “The Health Services Foundation, once again, became extremely fortunate when local business owner Gemma Bartley donated a 2012 Red Polaris ATV to be this year’s auction highlight item,” said Elizabeth Dulin, Foundation executive director. “Mrs. Bartley has been an unwavering and long-standing supporter of all Foundation efforts and we are incredibly grateful for this extremely generous donation. We know having a great presentation such as this ATV for our auction will make for a second wonderful event, and Mrs. Bartley has high hopes this item will provide a great return for the Foundation’s health care fundraising efforts.”
    The ATV can be viewed at Tidd’s Sport Shop on the Calais Road in Houlton.
    Last year saw the Foundation conducting its first auction in support of area health care when local business owner Walter Goodrich generously donated his vintage 1962 Triumph Convertible to support the then Digital Mammography Campaign. The group successfully raised $20,000 that night.
    The theme for this year is “Maine Meets International and Visits the Past” and will present artistic items from around the world and Maine that will blend with antiques. A goal of approximately 100 pieces will be offered.
    “Fabulous donors provide the auction items, York’s of Houlton the venue, and a whole host of supportive workers who are so willing, especially at the last moment, to help us set up and pull it all together in record time,” Dulin said. “Setup doesn’t start until a few hours before the auction preview begins so we need all the help we can get and with everyone doing his or her part it works beautifully. My previous experience in the antique business and the world of auctions has proved to be really helpful in pulling this type event together with relative ease.”
    The night is a fun filled auction event that should please everyone.
    “We will be presenting a wonderful line-up of items to fit everyone’s pocketbook so at the end of the evening everyone can go home with a special piece that was so generously donated in support of all we do,” Dulin said. “Even better, this year our event is up on our website at www.healthservicesfoundation.org which lists current donated auction pieces and the site will be updated as more items are added.  We will also be taking photos of items and posting them as well so folks will actually get a chance to see them before the actual night. We hope everyone will visit our site and when they see listings/photos it will spark even more interest in wanting to come for the night.”
    This year the Foundation’s fundraising efforts will be: “Looking toward the Future by Fundraising Today for ‘Excellence in Health Care’ Tomorrow.” Recent campaigns have seen the Foundation grant to Houlton Regional, and other area non-profit health care providers, over $1 million dollars in funding for Nuclear Medicine Equipment, Capital Project for Radiology Expansion, State-of-the-Art Digital Mammography Equipment as well as additional hospital and health care provider requests.
    “The challenge now is to be prepared for the health care challenges of tomorrow,” Dulin said. “Rapidly rising health care costs along with delayed reimbursement levels have made it extremely difficult for hospitals and health centers to keep up and provide for equipment/services that are so vital to their patients.
    “We are a small Foundation by a lot of standards, however, we have given back more than $2 million in grant funding dollars while still maintaining a strong and healthy endowment fund, what more could you ask for in difficult times such as these. Big Foundations always get a lot of attention for all the good work they do, but across this country small Foundations, like ours, keep hospitals and health centers alive and well, and that says a lot for those of us who continue to strive, on a daily basis, to make sure that support never stops,” Dulin continued.
    For further information regarding the Foundation, call 207-521-2147 or visit their website at www.healthservicesfoundation
.org.