¡Salud! 2024. Image copyright credit John Valls.

Money will support healthcare services for vineyard workers and their families

¡Salud! The Oregon Pinot Noir Auction raised $1.4M at a two-day event November 8^th and 9^th. The money will be used to support healthcare services for vineyard stewards and their families.

“¡Salud! is 100% supported by philanthropy,” says Stephanie Buchanan, manager of development and communications at Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation. “It’s so gratifying to see people come together. We had people from all over the country participate this year and, of course, overwhelming local support.”

This year’s event included a Pinot Party at The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene in Dayton. A Gala took place at The Ritz-Carlton in Portland.

The auction featured the highest grossing lot in ¡Salud!’s history. The item was for a private dinner featuring Chef Aaron Barnett of St. Jack. The dinner will be accompanied by wines from Witness Tree Vineyard and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The lot raised $60,000.

A lot called ‘Leda’s Legacy’ raised $31,000 with 66 supporters. The lot honored Leda Garside, RN, BSN, MBA, who has served as the ¡Salud! services manager and cultural liaison at Hillsboro Medical Center for over 25 years. Garside will retire this year.

In other noteworthy lots, a private tasting with winemaker Maggie Harrison of Antica Terra raised $26,750 during the silent auction.

Grace Evenstad, co-founder and owner of Domaine Serene, was given the Legacy Winemaker Award. The award is in recognition of Evenstad’s philanthropy and impact on the Oregon wine community.

Founded in 1992, ¡Salud! delivers no-cost healthcare services directly to vineyard workers. All money raised goes to preventative services, healthcare system education, and medical debt reduction and elimination.

¡Salud! services approximately 3,000 people annually. In addition to vineyard workers, ¡Salud! also assists people who work in other Willamette Valley agricultural industries. To be eligible, however, people must do at least one day of vineyard work.

¡Salud! is a program of the Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation and a clinical department of Hillsboro Medical Center. The Center is an Oregon Health & Science University partner.

This year’s Auction bested the previous record of $1.3M raised in 2022. “I just think the Willamette Valley is really special, Buchanan says. “We’re really grateful to be kind of part of that core ethos of the wine industry here.”

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