Yaak WINGS cancer fundraiser set for May 13
Ashley Perkins and professional auctioneer Jason Fosgate, who volunteers his services, at the 2022 Yaak WINGS event. (Photo courtesy Larry Miller)
“You have Cancer.”
Three words you do not want to hear from your doctor. Once the shock wears off, the reality sets in. You check what insurance will cover and where you need to get treatment.
Living in Lincoln County, specialized treatment requires numerous trips to Kalispell, Coeur D’Alene, Seattle or cross country. Insurance will cover most of the treatment costs but not the travel costs associated with getting to the hospital or the living expenses needed to remain close to the hospital.
Lincoln County WINGS was established in the late 1990s to meet this need. The WINGS organization grew out of discussions among a cancer patient, a doctor, and a social worker in the Flathead Valley.
The cancer patient wanted to find a way to give back to the community for the financial generosity he or she received from friends and other community members during the very long treatment process.
These discussions grew to include people from the Lincoln County communities of Eureka, Libby, Troy and the Yaak.
The Yaak WINGS event started in 1997 when Suzanne and Keith Hagerty, owners of the Yaak River Mercantile and Tavern, hosted the first WINGS live auction and Cinco De Mayo dinner as close to May 5 as possible. They wanted to extend the fund raising for WINGS to the Yaak.
The Tavern was decorated in a Mexican theme complete with piñatas, and a live auction followed the dinner. The event has grown and changed over the years to include raffles, a silent auction, live music and the live auction.
WINGS is a zero-overhead organization, so all monies raised go to those in need.
The 2022 event brought in $54,120. This was the most money raised in the history of the Yaak WINGS event and almost 46% of the total amount raised in Lincoln County.
These funds helped 110 Lincoln County cancer patients. The need for funds is greater than ever as there was a 24% increase in grants awarded from 2021 to 2022. The average grant award was $1,078. Cancer does not discriminate by age, as WINGS recipients are as young as 16 and as old as 88.
Now in its 26th year, the 2023 Yaak event is called “SWING into SPRING with WINGS” and will be held at the Yaak River Tavern and Mercantile on Saturday, May 13.
The Yaak River Tavern and Mercantile continues to be the sponsor and host of this event. The gate opens at noon and includes live music, a beer and wine pull, silent auction, bucket raffle, 50/50 raffle, and a spaghetti dinner for a $15 donation beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The unpredictable wild and rowdy live auction begins at 7 p.m.
Last year a bison scrotum beer koozie created by "Mountain Man" TV star Tom Oar sold for $3,300!
For more information about the event or to donate items for the auction, please call the event chairperson, Kristy Hensel, at 295-7710.
Check out the Facebook page www.facebook/yaakwings for updates on the event and to preview auction items.