Virtual gala, auction raises over $40,000 for GCMH

GRUNDY CENTER – The Grundy County Memorial Hospital (GCMH) Foundation raised more than $40,000 toward the purchase of an in-house MRI unit with a virtual gala and auction earlier this month.

It’s the second year that the foundation has conducted the fundraiser online and the total surpassed last year’s mark by more than $7,000. One new addition to the fundraiser was offering a “Party Pass” to donors, that included discounts to local restaurants for community members to support other local businesses.

“We were once again blown away by the support and participation we enjoyed from our virtual event,” said Kelly Jans, Community Outreach Specialist at GCMH in a press release. “While we miss having these events in-person and are hopeful to get back to that, we are thankful for the tools we have to host successful events while keeping our community members safe.”

The MRI unit will be part of a new dedicated Imaging and Radiology space at GCMH, planned for a fall 2023 completion. Currently, patients use an MRI unit housed outdoors, and the number of patients using the MRI has more than tripled over the past ten years.

“Bringing our MRI in-house has been a dream of mine since I started at the hospital 12 years ago,” said Craig Buskohl, Imaging Services Team Leader at GCMH. “This will be a much more comfortable experience for our patients and allow us to better care for them with the top-quality imaging services we are known for.”

The annual Gala and Auction is held in February and has grown to include more than 225 attendees, and is a highlight of the year for both the GCMH Foundation and guests.

For more information on providing further to GCMH’s MRI project, visit uph.link/GCMHGiving.