Yolo Hospice and its affiliate, Citizens Who Care, will honor a small handful of Yolo County leaders at their third-annual Luminaries of Life award dinner on October 11th at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. This event honors longtime friends and ambassadors who have contributed to the missions of both nonprofit organizations. Honorees this year are Sheila Allen and Jim Provenza of the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance; Dr. Jack Berger, founding medical director of Yolo Hospice; Ken Wagstaff, former mayor of Davis and executive director of CWC; and Virginia Shubert, an early leader in the field of hospice care. Proceeds for the event will support the development and opening of a new adult day care program in Davis.
The evening will include a reception, dinner, live and silent auctions, and awards ceremony. Dinner is being catered by the Buckhorn Steakhouse. The live and silent auction will include exciting and exclusive items. Among these are floor seats for Elton John’s farewell tour concert in Sacramento, with parking and dinner at Frank Fat’s. There is also a private beer-tasting session with UC Davis brewing guru Charlie Bamforth, and a capitol tour with Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance. Anyone interested in attending, contributing or learning more should call 530-758-5566 or email jramos@yolohospice.org.
Yolo Hospice and Citizens Who Care are grateful to their sponsors for the event: Luminary Sponsor Franklin Paul Brady and Partnership Sponsors Rick Beckermeyer Photography, Berryessa Gap Vineyards, the Davis Enterprise, Marion Franck and Bob Lew, Edward Jones, Sudwerk Brewing Co., Sutter Health Valley Area, SwimAmerica, Keith and Lynn Volkerts, and Sharon Williams.
More About our Luminaries
The Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance will receive the Community Partnership Award which honors an organization whose service and dedication has significantly benefited the lives of seniors. The organization serves as a unified voice for older adults and caregivers in Yolo County. The mission of YHAA is to promote the well-being of older adults through education, collaboration and advocacy.
YHAA is the outcome of a 2010 countywide community-based summit sponsored by the Yolo Commission on Aging and Adult Services and the In Home Supportive Services Advisory Committee. At the time, summit participants discussed gaps in services for older adults in Yolo County resulting from simultaneous draconian cuts in service and the silver tsunami of aging baby boomers.
Today, the organization is part of The SCAN Foundation’s Community of Constituents Initiative to build a statewide movement to transform the system of care so that all Californians can age with dignity, choice and independence.
Jack Berger, MD, will receive the 2018 Excellence in Care Award which honors a physician or clinician who promotes, in an outstanding way, quality end-of-life care for patients and whose partnership with the greater community has benefited the lives of others.
A graduate of Washington University School of Medicine, Berger is a retired Davis family medicine specialist with more than 47 years of experience. In partnership with Lefty Schultz, minister; Nancy Dubois, psychologist; and Lois Jacob, RN, Berger was a hospice visionary and a life-giving force during Yolo Hospice’s birthing years.
Ken Wagstaff, a 50-year resident of Davis, will receive the CWC Grace Award — an honor named for the first recipient, Grace Hiddleson, who was recognized for the ways she exemplified the graces in western mythology that inspire excellence, service to others, charity, mercy, love, gentleness, and friendship.
Each year, the award is given to a volunteer who has excelled in their compassionate service to the elderly and their caregivers. Wagstaff is a retired health policymaker and program executive, having served the State of California for 34 years. Later in his career, he managed key aspects of the conversion of the State’s Medi-Cal program into a managed care system and served as executive director and then board member for CWC.
He was also a member of the Davis City Council, serving as mayor pro tem and then mayor from 1998 to 2002. Under his leadership, the council adopted a sweeping new general plan to preserve the small-town character of the city.
Virginia Shubert, RN, is this year’s second recipient of the Excellence in Care Award, intended for individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the broader field of hospice care. Shubert was Yolo Hospice’s second executive director and under her leadership the organization became Medicare certified. She also positioned the agency to thrive in the midst of a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Shubert also served as a content reviewer for the “Study Guide for the Hospice Palliative Nursing Assistant,” a book used by nursing assistants to prepare for their hospice certification exam. She was president of the board for the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association in 1992, and a recipient of the organization’s “Leading the Way Award.” After leaving Davis several years ago, Shubert continued to work as a clinical supervisor for Hospice Partners of the Central Coast in San Luis Obispo.
More About the Auction Items
Live Auction Items
Party in the Pines for 16
Value: $2,700
Come enjoy the wonders of the El Dorado National Forest with up to 16 friends. Four restored cabins on the American River will provide the setting for a catered BBQ, live folk music, wine and s’mores. After the party, eight guests can spend the night in this rustic retreat.
Perfect for a family reunion, renewal of vows, bachelor or bachelorette party, college graduation party, or corporate team building. The possibilities are endless! Choose any weekend from May 30 – July 15, or Sept 14 – Oct 15, 2019.
Two Tickets for Elton John, Live in Sacramento
Value: $3,500
Don’t miss this chance to attend Elton John’s farewell tour, with two floor seats (sold out!), reserved parking and dinner at Frank Fat’s. This is your last call for the yellow brick road, and a chance for an unforgettable night!
Beer Tasting for 8 with Charlie Bamforth, the “Pope of Foam”
Value: $4,000
Internationally-renowned beer brewing expert and educator Dr. Charlie Bamforth (also known as the “Pope of Foam”) guarantees a fun and educational evening. The “Pope” will bring 6-8 types of beer to your home, answer questions, share his experiences and create an occasion you and your guests will long remember!
Schedule the party on a day of your choosing, based on Dr. Bamforth’s availability. Dr. Charlie Bamforth, distinguished professor at UC Davis, has been part of the brewing industry for more than 40 years, and has presented professionally at innumerable places, including Google and the Smithsonian. In 2018 he was presented with the Award of Honor by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
Two Fourth-Row Tickets to Hamilton in San Francisco
Value: $2,500
The Tony- and Pulitzer-prize winning musical about Alexander Hamilton and the Revolutionary War is returning to San Francisco’s Orpheum theatre for a limited engagement. Bid on two fourth-row Orchestra tickets (Row D, Seats 119 and 121) for Friday, February 22nd, 2019 at 7 pm. Please note, physical tickets will not be available for delivery until January.
Don’t throw away your shot to see this incredible Broadway smash!
Silent Auction Items
Capitol Building Tour for Six with Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry: Tour the newly-renovated State Capitol and enjoy lunch with Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.
Dinner for Two at Park Winters: Invite a guest to a Farm-to-Fork dinner at beautiful Park Winters. Three bottles of wine included.
Four VIP Tickets to the Berryessa Gap 2018 Paella Cook-Off Dinner: Enjoy wine-tasting, tapas and a paella dinner, November 10th from 4 to 7 pm. Tickets are made available to wine club members first and are generally sold-out. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity!
Dinner at the Buckhorn Steakhouse: Have another delicious Buckhorn Steakhouse meal with this gift certificate. We’ve included three bottles of wine to enjoy with your dinner.
Berryessa Gap Wines: Bid on seven bottles of wine, with an assortment of Mariani Flavored Nuts to accompany.
