Photo courtesy: Carroll County News
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the local community, Mercy Hospital Berryville’s 11th annual Black and White Charity Ball was the most successful night in the history of the event.
Hundreds of guests packed the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs Feb. 23 for the event, raising almost $56,000 through private donations, sponsorships, silent and live auctions, and a pledge drive.
“The support from the community has just been tremendous,” said Cody Qualls, executive director of Mercy Health Foundation Berryville. “The opportunity to raise this amount of money is truly remarkable and says a lot about our friends and neighbors.”
A record 30 sponsors were able to generate $16,500, up $500 from 2013. The top sponsors included Shelter Insurance, agents Richard and Mary Lou Harp, Arvest Bank of Eureka Springs and Berryville, Barrows Excavation, First National Bank of North Arkansas, Tyson Foods and Thurman and Flanagin, Attorneys at Law. Each top-level sponsor and their guests were treated to a pre-event VIP party.
Individual donations totaled $14,000 even before the event; the highest amount of $5,000 came from an anonymous community donor. Physicians donated $5,200.
Attendees were treated to a lavish dinner, live entertainment by local band “Swing and a Miss,” and discussion by Dr. Scott Estrem, Mercy Health Foundation chairman Bobby Thurman and others.
Qualls could not be happier with the results of the event. “The goal for the evening was $42,000 to purchase new patient monitors for Mercy’s surgery recovery room,” he said. “We met that goal, and the event was tremendous. The word has been unanimous that it was the best night in the history of the event.”
