AUCTION RAISES MONEY TO AID CANCER RETREAT

Twenty baskets wrapped in green and iridescent cellophane created more than sparkles of light in the A.C. Brase Arena Friday night; they also created sparkles of hope.

The second annual Pennies From Heaven benefit auction sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital and the American Cancer Society raised money to help We Can Weekend, a summer retreat for cancer patients and their families.

"Patients and their families learn about cancer and cancer treatment," said Nancy Mattingly, the cancer program coordinator. "They find mutual support from other individuals who are going through the same situation."

Individuals enjoyed entertainment, barbecued pork, slaw and ice cream as they placed their bids on more than 100 items during a silent auction from 5 to 7 p.m.

Items such as a perfume set, stained glass angels and crosses, Garden and Groves Potpourri, coffee baskets and autographed pictures of Bill Cosby, Aaron Tippen and Alan Jackson stretched the length of an entire wall in the Arena.

Ken Quillman, 61, couldn't tear his attention away from an autographed Ozzie Smith baseball cap.

Quillman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1989. For the past five years he and his wife, Janeen, have attended We Can Weekend.

"When I first went on the weekend, it gave me a better understanding of my cancer and I was better able to cope with the cancer," Quillman said. "Now I have the ability to share my healing with other patients."

Quillman's cancer disappeared naturally. Janeen refers to her husband's health as a gift from the Lord. Now the two return to the retreat every year to share Ken's success story with other patients who are desperately seeking hope in their battles against cancer.

"I can offer encouragement and hope because my husband experienced a miracle," she said. "It's a story that will lift up their spirits."

At 7 p.m., the oral auction for the baskets began.

Each department at Southeast Hospital was in charge of creating a basket, said J. Charles Stotz, executive director of Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation. Employees competed with other departments to create the best basket with a central theme.

Food and nutrition services put together an "I Don't Cook" collection, containing close to $250 worth of gift certificates to local restaurants like BG's Olde Tyme Deli and Cafe Cape. Maintenance and engineering displayed "Tool Time," a basket filled to the brim with Stanley tape measures, saws and drill bits that would make even Tim Allen grunt.

The baskets were put on display in advance at the hospital so passersby could drop in their Pennies From Heaven and other small change as a vote for their favorite. The basket collecting the most change was declared the winner.

It won't be until next week before he knows who the winner is, Stotz said, but he suspects the four bags of change he carried to the bank in bags will add an additional $800 to $900 to the We Can Weekend cause.

Stotz saved his bidding power for the individual items that were auctioned separately from the baskets. His wife allotted him a predetermined amount of money to bid on a $1,500 Pentium computer.

A self-acclaimed Internet junkie who uses his keyboard surfboard as much as possible, he said, "I figure that new computer could increase my surfing capabilities by 40 percent."

He hopes the benefit will gross $7,000 to $8,000.

Linda Dunker, 50, of Perryville had her eye on the "I Don't Cook" collection, but her goal for the evening was to walk away with a furrier item, a small goat adorned with a blue ribbon around its neck.

Dunker was diagnosed with colon cancer. Surgery completely removed the cancer from her colon, but by that time it had spread to her liver and bladder.

Dunker refused to let the cancer ruin her life, so she and her husband, David, went to We Can Weekend for the first time last year. Both were overwhelmed with the group support they got from others who had and were going through the same traumatic experience.

"When dealing with something like cancer, there are times when you just want to throw things and punch things, but that doesn't help matters any," she said. "During the weekend you meet with so many people that are in so many stages of their illness, it is reassuring to hear how they are coping."