News

Planning for the 19th Annual Best of the Beach Art Auction is Underway

04/07/08

Planning for Beebe Medical Foundation's 19th Annual Best of the Beach Art Auction Dinner and Dance is underway, with committee members creating a new format and plenty of surprises for event goers.

Best of the Beach will take place on Saturday, June 14, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. under a giant tent on the grounds of the Beebe Health Campus on John J. Williams Highway (Route 24) in Rehoboth Beach.

"We are very excited about this year's event," says Mindi Moore Tunnell, event Chair. "Our committee is creating an exiting new format for this traditional, summer season fundraiser. We know there will be wonderful surprises in store for those who attend."


Ms. Tunnell, who served as Co-Chair last year, is working with this year's Co-Chair Trey Krauss and a 50-member committee to bring a new, fresh experience to the Art Auction. A Golden Paddle Club is being launched to provide exclusive benefits to those most interested in bidding in the live auction. Bruce Emmert, the area's most respected auctioneer, will donate his time for the live auction to take place during the cocktail hour and before dinner. Surprise changes will give attendees more time to mingle and to dance to the lively music of The Strangers, a dance band from Philadelphia new to the event.

Best of the Beach, founded as a way to support both Beebe Medical Center and the Rehoboth Art League, will showcase works of many fine artists from the Mid-Atlantic Region. This year's featured cover artist is Nick Serratore, who is based in Lewes and teaches at the Rehoboth Art League. His featured pastel to be auctioned is called New Day Dawning. Mr. Serratore has won numerous awards for his pastel landscapes. He graduated from the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia and is a member of the Pastel Society of America.

Net proceeds will benefit the Beebe Medical Center's School of Nursing, which soon will build a new facility to double the size of enrollment and offer students the latest educational technologies. Delaware, as well as the rest of the nation, is facing a nursing shortage. The problem is exacerbated in Sussex County, which is experiencing an explosion in the growth of residents over the age of 55 who will need more healthcare. The School of Nursing is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). The diploma in Nursing is awarded at the completion of the curriculum, qualifying Beebe graduates to be eligible for National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX examination, leading to licensure. Beebe graduates have one of the highest NCLEX pass rates in the state.

The funds raised at Best of the Beach also will benefit the programs of The Rehoboth Art League.

Tickets will go on sale May 5. For more information about the Art Auction, please call (302) 644-2900 or visit www.beebemedicalfoundation.org.

Beebe Medical Foundation was established in 1989 with the sole mission to raise philanthropic support for Beebe Medical Center. The Foundation is located at 902 Savannah Road, Lewes DE 19958.

Caption: Beebe Medical Center and Rehoboth Art League supporters from around the community have come together to plan the Art Auction. Pictured here, from left to right: Jane Severs, Matt Ryan, Kate Severs, Sue Ryan, Sandy Leigh, Mary Alexander, Diane Yu, Donna Halloran, Ellen Somori, Karen Brennan, Committee Chair Mindi Moore Tunnell, Jennifer Joseph, Mary Farley, Kim Biever, Jackie Rifenbergh, Lacy Letonoff, Georgie Fisher, Barbara O'Leary, Committee Co-Chair Trey Kraus, The Honorable William Swain Lee, Katie Floyd, Serena Miles, Nancy Hawpe, and Christine Strauss.

Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org