Well-known surgeons from the El Paso area showcased their expert carving skills for charity at Operation Pumkin. Operation Pumpkin is an event that the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home has been hosting for over 20 years.
“Operation Pumpkin started 21 years ago, and it was the brainchild of the wife of one of El Paso’s surgeons,” said Renee Tanner, Chief Executive Officer of Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home. “She thought ‘wouldn’t it be a great idea to have doctors operate on pumpkins?’ and that’s how this event got started and it’s been going on for 21 years.”
This year was the event’s 21st anniversary and it occurred Oct. 23, at the Coronado Country Club located at 1044 Broadmoor Dr. The spook-tacular event consisted of auctioning off the jack-o’-lanterns of El Paso’s most prominent surgeons and physicians. Guests also had the pleasure of enjoying a delicious dinner and drinks with the purchase of a $30 ticket.
There was also a silent auction showcasing the various prizes that bidders could win and a raffle. The raffle prize was a $3,000 bracelet provided by Johnson Jewelers. The night hosted a “pumpkin patch” where attendees could help a child buy their school yearbook or pay for their driver’s education.
All proceeds made during the event were donated to help benefit the children and families served by the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home.
The Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home has helped more than 30,000 children over 63 years. They provide children and families in the region services such as residential care, foster care, adoption, individual and family counseling, independent living skills training, college programs, aftercare and so much more. The goal of the home is to uplift vulnerable children and families. It wants to provide a safe and loving place for children to grow, build skills, explore strengths and achieve healthy goals.
“Operation pumpkin is the heart and soul of making the clothing budget happen for our children,” Tanner said. “We serve 80 children and their families each and every day, and Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home through all of our programs. We don’t get government funding. We depend on the community to make all of that happen. 100 percent of the donations from tonight are benefiting the children’s clothes and shoe budget for an entire year.”
The expert carvers for the pumpkin carving portion of the night included Dr. David Mansfield, Dr. Paul Ro, Dr. Edgar Perales, Dr. Ricardo Reyna, Dr. Rini Sahewalla, Dr. Guadalupe Garcia-Ontiveros, Dr. Hector Granados, Dr. Gilberto Gomez, Dr. Tanya Marin, Dr. Wilma Luquis-Aponte, Dr. Nancy Harvey, Dr. Jason Vourazeris and Dr. Shauna Goldman.
“I am here because I love supporting this awesome organization that is so important to our community,” Goldman said. “I am carving a unicorn pumpkin this year. This fundraiser is important because it provides so much money for the children’s home that does such important work for our community. This is my third year participating in this event and I am always thrilled to be a part of it.”
The event would not have been possible without title sponsors, Johnson Jewelers and the Pedersen Family Foundation. Other sponsors included RMPersonnel, Security Service Federal Credit Union, West Star Bank and Samuel and Denise Caballero.
To learn more about the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home and to find out about more fundraisers they are hosting visit the website at https://leemoor.org/.
Alyson Rodriguez is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]; @alyson_rod1127 on Twitter.
