Job Bank UCMC News Calendar Hospital Staff Administration Volunteers History Contact Us Qualifications and Awards Financial Arrangements Patient Rights and Responsibilities Advance Directives Visiting Hours Admissions and Discharge Gift Shop and Cafeteria 1530 N. Limestone Street Gaffney, SC 29340 864.487.4271 mail@upstatecarolina.org		Hospital Pie-in-the-Face Event Raises Nearly $4000 Prepared by: Steve Wong Upstate Carolina Medical Center Marketing Phone 864-487-1515 Podiatrist Hans Blaakman had the honor “pie-ing” Sue Marklin, Clinical Coordinator. Belinda Andrews, Nursing Administration Assistant, was among the many bidders who wanted to throw a pie in someone’s face. She got to “pie” her boss, Diane Stepp, Director of Nursing. For weeks, Administrative Resident Austin Brown had squeezed donations out of everyone at the hospital. In the end, he got his just deserts from Volunteer Becky Jefferies. Adrian Corbett took it like a man… and then ate some of it. It was a mess, but it was a profitable mess when the employees of Upstate Carolina Medical Center raised nearly $4,000 for Cherokee County’s Relay For Life, a national fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society, by throwing pies at each other. "It gets better and better each year," hospital marketing director Steve Wong said. "We raised a record amount of $3,860. The amount of fun we had doing it is incalculable." Every year as part of its fundraising efforts for the Relay For Life, the hospital has a pie-in-the-face contest. This year, there were five categories… employee, nurse, manager, doctor, and administrator. For $1 per vote, employees voted to see which person in each category would get a pie in the face, which has become the highpoint of the hospital’s National Hospital Week celebration. The winners in each category were… Employee—Peggy Mills, Environmental Services Supervisor Nurse—Scott Hines, R.N., Medical/Surgical Unit Manager—Adrian Corbett, Director of Materials Management Doctor—Michael Dale, M.D., Internal Medicine Administrator—Thom King, Chief Operating Officer In addition to raising money through votes, more money was taken in by auctioning off the pies on the hospital’s back patio. A live auctioneer hawked the pies to the highest bidders, some going for nearly $300. And just when everyone thought they were safe, additional pies were presented, and the auctioneer “called out” special requests for more participants. The four "called out"participants were… Diane Stepp, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer Sue Marklin, Clinical Coordinator Austin Brown, Administrative Intern Michael Cherry, Chief Financial Officer "This is great," said Brown, who headed up the hospital’s Relay for Life fundraising. As he cleared the whipped cream from his eyes and raked cherries from his hair, Brown said, "It’s a mess, but it’s worth it. It’s all for a good cause, and everyone had a great time—even me." In total, the hospital raised more than $15,000 for the 2007 Relay For Life. Other fundraisers included a golf tournament and sales of luminaries. "In the fight against cancer, we’ll do just about anything," Brown said. "I never thought that part of my job in providing healthcare would be to take a pie in the face. But you live and learn." 2007 News Archive