Dr. John Aldis prepares food for the Lunar New Year celebration and fund raiser he holds at his home. The event, which took place on Feb. 5, raised over $7,000 for the Eastern Panhandle Free Clinic in Ranson. (Submitted photo)

RANSON – Thirty-one Eastern Panhandle Free Clinic donors were treated to a very special evening at the Lunar New Year Celebration Dinner benefit held at the home of the Dr. John Aldis and his wife Pheny in Shepherdstown.

“Dr. Aldis and Pheny gave a wonderful gift to the clinic by opening their home for this event, not only to share the wonderful oriental cuisine, beautiful works of art and fascinating culture; but also to share more with the community about the free clinic and its important work,” said Michele Goldman, executive director, in a press release.

In addition to the generous gift from the Aldises, the following Presenting Sponsors provided financial support: Stan and Judy Jones; Paul and Lisa Welch; Mary Stanley and Bob Smith and Meg Spurlin.

Dr. Aldis said in the release, “It was a great experience. It was fun putting together authentic Chinese cuisine for so many people and demonstrating how to cook some of the dishes.”

Over 40 people attended the event, and it took the Aldises several weeks to prepare for the dinner, even with the assistance of Pheny’s sister Paddy and friend, Ines, who both traveled from Miami, Fla. to help. Dana Aldis (their daughter who lives in Seattle) prepared gifts for each guest: an origami wind chime and a numbered linocut block print commemorating the “Year of the Rabbit.”

Those attending the event were effusive.

Carol Kable shared that “it was a wonderful evening; a very good experience” and that the “food was fabulous.” Mary Ann Hammann also thought the evening was “absolutely wonderful; a unique event and setting.” Ann Coulter described the event as “phenomenal.”

This first of its kind fund raising event for the free clinic resulted in over $7,000 in donations to support its mission to provide free comprehensive primary health care for low income uninsured residents of the Eastern Panhandle. For every dollar that is donated, the staff and volunteers can provide $15 in health care services.

The Eastern Panhandle Free Clinic serves over 3,000 patients in the Eastern Panhandle and is receiving at least ten calls for assistance each week.

Please contact Stacie Rohn at 304-724-6091 ext. 228 for further information about how you can help the organization serve more patients by hosting a fundraising event on the clinic’s behalf.