Wine tasting event returns

ODESSA-- The Healthcare Foundation is happy to announce plans are coming together for “Denim & Diamonds”, the 30th annual wine tasting, microbrew sampling and auction on Friday, May 6, 2022.

This will be an in-person event beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Odessa Community Center.

The community center will be decorated, the wine pourers will be ready to serve guests, Rocky Coulee Brewing Company microbrews will be on tap, wine by the bottle will be available for sale, “Corks for a Cause” and “Ace in the Hole” games will be ready, the silent auction items will be arranged for viewing pleasure, the dessert auction sweet delights will be there tempting potential bidders, the live auction items will be displayed on the bar and the hors d’oeuvres will be waiting in the kitchen until the time is right to set them out.

There will be some changes from previous years. This will be a hybrid auction with all silent and dessert auction items available through Text2Bid only. This is the bidding system that was used last year and allowed for a streamlined process for bidders as well as the Odessa Healthcare Foundation.

All silent and dessert auction items will still be on display at the community center for people to take a closer look, but all bidding will take place through the Text2Bid site.

This bidding process can be accessed through a smartphone, whether one are in the community center or at home. In addition, tech support will be available that evening or before that night from any foundation board member.

All live auction bidding will be in-person only. Because everyone enjoys the excitement of a live auction, the OHF felt it would be best for everyone to return to the full, in-person live auction experience. Clark Kagele will return as the Master of Ceremonies and Jake Barth of Chuck Yarbro Auctioneers will be there to take bids.

And that’s why it’s called a hybrid auction…combining the ease of Text2Bid with the excitement of a live auction experience.

Text2Bid registration and bidding will open Sunday May 1 at 10 a.m.

Tickets are available to purchase in person from Odessa Drug and Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center, or online through the auction website at omhf.maestroweb.com. Tickets purchased online allow the purchaser to enter at 6 p.m. via the VIP door on the east side of the Community Center.

The OHF will help fund a new aquatic therapy pool for the physical therapy department in partnership with Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center.

Being able to provide aquatic-assisted therapy would directly benefit many patients in the Healthcare Foundation’s immediate service area as well as many additional patients in the greater region. The “raise the paddle” project is a commercial cooktop with a reconfigured island to accommodate it at Quail Court.

This will benefit the staff greatly who prepare meals for the residents in Quail Court. The Odessa Healthcare Foundation invites everyone to join them on Friday, May 6 for a fun-filled evening in support of healthcare in our community.