Paint the Paper Pink

The Saturday, October 7th Pink Shirt picture is the lovely residents and staff of Vonderlieth Living Center in Mt. Pulaski. At the center, many of the residents are enjoying a long life with good care and careful consideration of their medical and physical needs by the staff.

This brings to mind the thoughts of how that it used to be that a diagnosis of any type of cancer meant that person involved would probably not enjoy the longevity of life. However, it is different now. Ninety-one percent of those diagnosed with breast cancer will be survivors who celebrate their five year cancer free anniversary.

This is remarkable news because it means that the work being done by researchers is paying off. As we used to fear that a breast cancer diagnosis was a death sentence, today it is not. Of Course, early detection is key, so be sure to do those self-exams, and pay attention to changes in your body. Don’t assume a lump in the breast is cancer because there are other, non-cancerous reasons for changes in the breast mass. At the same time, don’t brush it off as nothing to worry about. Check with your doctor.

Photos by LDN                                                            [Click on image for larger version]

The tale of the little orange and black quilt

Thursday night’s Pink Pumpkin Auction astonished the auction committee with a total that is winking at $40,000 for one evening. And it is all because of a community that comes together and supports a good cause with proven results of helping people locally.

There are a lot of stories to tell about this particular auction, and little by little we’re going to get them out there to our readers, starting with the story of the little orange and black Halloween Quilt.

To do so, we have to start with the Clinton Pork and Apple Festival. Yes, that is where the quilt was spied by local businessman Seth Goodman. It was a quilt and appliqué piece made by Marsha Hurley, whom of course, Goodman knew.

Goodman posted the quilt on his social media page, but then, he decided that instead of keeping it, he would let the little piece work well for a good cause, and he donated it to the Pink Pumpkin Auction.

The quilt was about the fifth item to come up for bid on Thursday night. Let us set the scene by saying that throughout the night, it is typical for bids to go higher the closer to the end we get, so when the little piece started climbing into the hundreds, it was quite a surprise.

As it approached $1,000, Karen Castelein and Nila Smith, the owners of Lincoln Daily News, gave the nod, and auctioneer Mike Maske announced that if the quilt went to the thousand-mark, LDN would match it.

The thousand-mark came quickly after that. But it didn’t stop there. A bidding war was afoot, and while we can’t say who was bidding against her, we do know who the winner was, Jane Bryson!

With the match and the top bid, the quilt brought in a total of $3,000 for the American Cancer Society.

That is exciting news, and it is just one of the auction items that left the building Thursday night with winning bids exceeding $2,000!

Thanks so much to Seth Goodman for donating the quilt, Mike Maske for doing an astounding job selling the quilt and Jane Bryson for having such a heart for the American Cancer Society and buying the quilt.

LDN will have additional coverage from the auction in the Monday edition.

Photos by Stephanie Hall and Heather Gaule        [Click on image for larger version]