Great Bend High School football teammates who include lifting weights in their training regimen were probably well prepared for their task last Saturday. The 15 young men were part of a volunteer effort at St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center that included several hours of bending, lifting and carrying.
The goal was not an end zone, but rather the site of the St. Rose public auction that is set for Saturday, May 12. A wide variety of no-longer-used items will be auctioned off that day in the building just east of the Dominican Sisters Convent in the 3500 block of Broadway.
“We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the team’s willingness to participate and the great job they did,” said Mark Mingenback, St. Rose director of marketing and business strategy. “Having their young backs to help us with the heavy lifting made this project go very smoothly. I’m not sure what we would have done without them.”
The auction will include restaurant equipment from the cafeteria, office furniture and equipment, television sets, medical equipment and more.
“The football team and St. Rose employees, who also volunteered their time, moved items from all the nooks and crannies of the cafeteria, as well as the third, fourth and fifth floors,” Mingenback said.
Items were taken to the auction site via the tunnel that runs under Broadway Ave. between St. Rose and the convent.
David Meter, USD 428 activities director, said he, Coach Bo Black and the team were eager to help with the project.
“St. Rose has played an important part in Barton County’s health care for many years,” Meter commented. “The athletic staff and athletes were honored to help with this move.
“In addition,” Meter continued, “the Great Bend community has given so much to the athletic department through taxes, support of local events and fundraising. This event was a way to give back to the community through our service.”
The auction is the result of Central Kansas Medical Center making the transition from a hospital to an ambulatory and surgery center last year.