The John Day Elks Lodge was positively glowing Friday night. The occasion was the 31st annual Carrie Young Memorial Dinner and Auction, and, as it always does, the event brought Grant County residents out in droves. Some were there for the company, to see and be seen at what has become a major social event. Some came to bid on the lovingly prepared and gorgeously designed gift baskets, hoping to snag some Christmas presents or score a coveted item for themselves. Some hoped to walk away with a Kim Randleas fine art print, a Silvies Valley Ranch getaway or one of the other fabulous auction items. 

But all were there to support the cause. For more than three decades now, the Carrie Young Memorial has raised money to help Grant County’s most vulnerable seniors, carrying on the legacy Carrie created all those years ago when she started buying Christmas presents for residents of the Blue Mountain Care Center where she worked. 

The event has grown considerably since then. Under the direction of Carrie’s sister Lucie Immoos and aided by a small army of dedicated volunteers, the Carrie Young Memorial has become a charitable juggernaut. Last year’s auction and spaghetti feed pulled in a little over $88,000 in just one night. That’s a lot of money in a small county like ours, and Immoos & Co. know how to stretch a dollar. 

Every resident in the county’s senior living facilities got a care package with some personal toiletries, a new towel and washcloth and a fresh set of sheets. They also got an item or two from their personal Christmas lists. Scores of other seniors still living on their own got firewood, heating oil and grocery store gift certificates. 

Those are the basics, but sometimes people need more than that. This year, Immoos said, some of the charity’s funds went to help cover medical and related expenses for a woman with cancer. 

The Carrie Young Memorial is a testament to one family’s love for a sister and daughter who was taken too soon. But it’s more than that. It’s the living embodiment of Grant County’s belief in helping neighbors in need.  

In case you missed it, last week’s edition featured stories about the Elks’ community Thanksgiving dinner, the outcome of several ethics complaints filed against local officials, a retrial for a convicted sex offender, a ruling in the Measure 114 lawsuit, Grant County’s flying judge and more.

Coming up in this week’s edition, we’ll have complete coverage of this year’s Carrie Young Memorial Dinner and Auction plus stories about plans to backfill ODOT’s snowplowing budget, construction projects in the Grant School District, holiday happenings in Mt. Vernon and the season-opening showdowns between the boys and girls basketball teams for Grant Union and Prairie City (several of those stories are up now on our website).  

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