The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The La Harpe Davier Health Care Center held its annual Wreath auction on Thursday, November 14, 2013. They served chili and potato soup along with sandwiches and pumpkin bars for dinner. Every year the facility holds the auction to raise money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This year the auctioneer was Brent Ufkes from Carthage and there were just over 60 wreaths donated for him to auction off to the highest bidder. The group raised almost $3000 with the first $1000 going to the children's hospital and the rest going to the family of local La Harpe resident Brysen Ragain to help pay his medical expenses.
Brysen, who just celebrated his first birthday on the 10th was diagnosed with a left renal mass on his kidney, when he was just 8 months old. The tumor was determined to be a Wilm's Tumor, which is a treatable and curable pediatric cancer. Brysen recently had surgery to remove the tumor and his affected kidney at OSF St. Francis hospital in Peoria. While the surgery was a success, little Brysen still has a long road of chemo treatments ahead of him.
The top selling wreath went for $150 and was made by Friends-A-Bloom. The beautiful star wreath was purchased by a resident and her family and donated to the facility to display throughout the holiday season.