By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
In its 16th year HomeCare Matters Home Health, and Hospice swung for the fences for its annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner and Auction on Tuesday.
The baseball-themed event at Colonel Crawford featured silent and live auctions after the dinner which was served by familiar community faces in unfamiliar roles as waiters and waitresses.
With $10,000 raised annually at the event, donors to HomeCare Matters were well on the way to a grand slam with $6,000 being raised prior to the live auction starting.
Dean Heid, Development and Marketing Coordinator for HomeCare Matters, explained what the monies raised from the event will be used for.
“What we try to do is raise money to pay for medical supplies, oxygen tanks, medications. Anyone who has looked at the Affordable Health Care Act knows that it is not going to cover everything,” Heid said. “There are a lot of underprivileged people who are not being served, who don’t have insurance, or can’t afford what they need, and that is what the celebrity dinner waiter and auction takes care of.”
“As a nonprofit agency we rely on the support of the community to help us help others and that is what we are doing tonight,” Heid continued.
The live auction had Bucyrus Mayor Roger Moore coaxing bids for such items as autographed pictures of Andy Dalton, Domata Peko, and A.J. Green, tickets to Cleveland Indians, Columbus Crew, and Cinncinnati Reds games in addition to many others.
“My involvement started way back 16 years ago because I needed the help and support of HomeCare Matters with my mother, and then a few years later they came back into my home to help me care for my father with Alzheimer’s,” Moore said. “It is just a good event and the money raised here goes to help families who can’t afford it. So all in all it is a win-win for both sides.”
“We are hitting a home run for HomeCare Matters tonight,” Moore continued.
The evening continued further with the baseball atmosphere when, during Heid’s welcome speech, vendors for HomeCare Matters mimicked ball park vendors by selling root beer and calling out, “Root beer, get your ice cold root beer here.”
Mimicking trick-shot peanut vendors that also sell their goods at ball parks across the nation Moore tossed popcorn bags across the cafetorium to buyers which sold for $15 per bag of popcorn.
The Ohio Village Muffins will be playing a game of baseball at the Galion HomeCare Matters location on June 22 using the game’s original 1860’s rules. The Muffins were also on hand to drum up support for the Celebrity Dinner Auction event.
Dinner for the event was catered by Special Occasions Catering.