Stuff for the fridge

• Barb Hoag

Barb Hoag

Talk about it

The following is another “Have Fun or Get Out of the Way” column by Don Leighton and Mike Granlund and their alter egos, Lance Boyle and Billy Pirkola, which runs occasionally in the Superior Telegram.

With all of the grad party announcements, photos of pets and kids, there is little room for more magnets securing valuable information to the front of your refrigerator. Still, Lance and Billy request that you cut out this article for immediate placement on your ice box.

For you younger readers, a fridge used to be called an ice box. Before electricity, huge blocks of ice used to keep the food cold. Kind of like a big Coleman cooler. Sorry, enough Cliff Clavin stuff.

Big doin’s at SMDC in Superior

Barb Hoag and her cohorts are at it again. Along with Denise Sorensen and Nan Sauter, they have organized “Cheers To A Cure,” to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. June 23. Partnering with the Breast Cancer Golf Classic for the SMDC Foundation for digital mammography in Superior, wine sampling, live music, silent auction items and hors d’ oeuvres will make this a truly Superior event.

For the advanced ticket price of $25, or $30 at the door, you can sample wines courtesy of Saratoga Liquors and The Shack and, Lance’s favorite, items from the fabulous food group. Live music, provided by Karen Barschdorf and Hoag, will set the aesthetics for a great evening of fun, friendship and fundraising for a great cause. The silent auction items are being provided by the Breast Cancer Golf Classic.

Why does Hoag spend countless hours with her bowling event held each October at Country Lanes (this year is her fourth fundraiser) and now the first annual Cheers to a Cure? She is a breast cancer survivor and wants to give the women of Superior a better chance of early detection and survival. With a price tag of $251,000 for the digital mammography machine and remodeling to house the life-saving machine at SMDC, Nan, Denise and Barb hope to turn this dream into reality.

“With no digital mammography machine at the SMDC-Superior, some feel it an inconvenience to go to Duluth for a checkup,” Hoag said. “With one of every eight women contracting breast cancer, early exam and detection are the best ways to increase your chances of survival. With a machine in Superior, the convenience is an advantage that all women can enjoy. It truly can save lives and families from such a life changing disease.”

Currently, because of the hard work and generosity of the SMDC Foundation, only $33,128 is needed to purchase and locate the machine at the hospital. According to Steve Yorde, head of the SMDC Foundation, other area events have raised substantial amounts that contribute to the cost for the machine. These events, amounts, and years include: 2009 Quarter a Cut, $2,172; 2009-10 Pink at the Rink, $7,500; 2009 Dragon Boat, $70,000; 2009 Touched by Breast Cancer Golf Classic, $2,500; and other contributions, $111,907, and pledges to be paid, $23,000.

Tickets are available at: SMCD gift shop, Superior Savings Bank, Country Schoolhouse Quilt Shop and Trends Salon & Spa. You can also call Barb Hoag at 218-348-8398, or Lance and Billy can help you with ticket information. Send us your request and we will get you connected. Our e-mails appear at the end of this article.

Golf classic

Speaking of the Touched by Breast Cancer Golf Classic, June 25 is the date for the eighth annual event to be held at the beautiful Nemadji Golf Course. Julie Nelson and her board members — Marsha Bergren, Clarissa McDonald, Pat Sorensen, Sue Ryan, Barb Hoag, Leah Hollenbach, and Christine Gidley — have put in many hours organizing the golf classic for the enjoyment and entertainment of the 40 teams that will be entered. There a few openings available, but you better hurry since they are being gobbled up quickly.

Contact Julie Nelson at Trends at 398-5868 for more information. Once again, food, friendship and fundraising are the reasons for being a part of this wonderful extravaganza. If you don’t like food, friends, and helping others, check your pulse.

The golf outings have raised in excess of $100,000 that has been given to St. Mary’s and St. Luke’s Hospitals for Compassionate Care. Compassionate Care is a fund that helps those patients and families affected by breast cancer. Any illness can place a tremendous financial burden on families. Nelson’s efforts have allowed money to be given directly to patients and their families to help with related expenses; 100 percent of the money raised stays locally to help those in need.

Great job, Julie Nelson, and happy eighth anniversary!

Lend a hand

A close personal friend to Lance, Elise Pearson Brown, has been diagnosed with stage three brain cancer. Fundraisers are being organized to help Elise and her family with the financial support that will be necessary to allow her to concentrate her energies on getting well.

Applebee’s in Superior is donating 10 percent of its sales for June 14-17 to help Elise. All you have to do is present a flyer and, voila`, you get great, cheap food. The flyers are all over town, but you can contact Sherri Freeman at Holden Insurance for help in securing one. Holden Insurance has them available, so stop in and get one, or call Sherri at 392-1294 or e-mail her at sfreeman@holdeninsurance.com. She has been the driving organizer in the effort to help this incredible young woman and friend to many.

A four-person golf tournament will be held at Hidden Greens North in Solon Springs June 20. The $50 entry fee includes golf, half cart, dinner, prizes and a raffle ticket. Did I mention dinner? For more information, call 715-378-2300. You better hurry. The registration deadline is June 16.

Next week, there will be more on Elise and this “bump in the road” along with more info on those who have stepped up to the plate to help this 25 year-old friend of Lance and Billy.

Remember, it’s better to give than to receive. Help those less fortunate because you never know when you may need assistance. Englishman, John Bradford, in the 1500s said, “There but for the grace of God, go I.” Think about it.

Opinions and story ideas can be e-mailed to dleigh1273@aol.com or wgranlund@centurytel.net.

Tags: have fun or get out of the way, collections, sports, superior, fundraiser