MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On Thursday, Aug. 22, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake held its first-ever Cirque du SoLake charity benefit at the Twin Pine Casino & Hotel Event Center in Middletown.

An initial count reveals that this charity benefit successfully raised over $54,000.

With the limited space and tickets sold for $85, the attendance exceeded the hospital’s expectations.

“It was inspiring to see such an amazing turnout for our inaugural event,” said Melissa Kinsel, officer of development. “The community’s support for our hospital was beyond our expectations.”

Guests sported their cocktail attire as they enjoyed music, entertainment and hors d’oeuvres as well as bidding in both live and silent auctions.

A professional auctioneer offered a variety of live auction lots from Disneyland tickets to helicopter rides, which led to the auction alone netting over $20,000.

The ringmaster of the Picklewater Circus introduced clowns, jugglers, stilt walkers and acrobats as the entertainment for the evening.

As the various performances kept the crowd interested, President and CEO Terry Newmyer was kept on his toes as jugglers tossed knives to each other, inches from his face.

Cirque du SoLake would like to share a special thank you to Lionakis, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Brassfield Estate Winery and REACH Air Medical Services for all of their support in successfully putting on this event.

Also, with gratitude, they thank Beth Havrilla with Lake Event Design for dedicating her time and effort to making this event a huge success.

“It is easy to work with a team so motivated to truly making a difference in the community. This is why I love working with St. Helena Hospital,” she shared late Thursday evening.

The renovations for the new emergency department, which began in October 2011, included expanding and upgrading the original cramped space to provide faster, better care for patients, and adding new physicians and patient care staff.

Improvements include the addition of 4,100 square feet, private patient care rooms, new entrances and waiting areas, cutting-edge equipment, and support systems upgrades.

Adventist Health, St. Helena Hospital’s parent organization, provided initial funds for the project, and challenged the hospital to fund the remainder from within the community.

The community responded with generosity, with gifts large and small from hundreds of donors providing the needed funds.

“It has been a blessing to receive such support from the community at a time when we are so close to the finish line,” Kinsel said.