Hot Springs invites public to Symes tea

by Daily Inter Lake
| February 9, 2012 5:53 PM

Residents of Hot Springs invite the public to a benefit “Gold & Silver Tea” from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Historic Symes Hotel.

For a $5 ticket, guests may enjoy the tea and the hotel while helping the town raise matching funds needed to replace its dilapidated medical clinic.

People are encouraged to also bring any unwanted valuable jewelry as an additional contribution for the clinic.

Fundraising efforts so far — hauling scrap iron and holding benefit events — have made a huge dent in the $200,000 goal, but another $100,000 still needs to be raised.

Sharon Flesch of Hot Springs has been working to raise the money for a new building

“The clinic is too small,” she said. “The original part of the building was a burnt-out cafe from the ’30s.”

Flesch said the clinic has “a marvelous staff working under horrible conditions.” The facility has just one bathroom and not enough room for physical therapy.

In coming up with a fundraising strategy, Flesch said the hospital district board faced a daunting prospect. More than 70 percent of Hot Springs residents, including many senior citizens, live at or below the poverty level.

With limited cash resources to draw from, the board still wanted residents to have a sense of ownership.

“They can’t write checks so we had to come up with what they can do,” Flesch said.

The tea with jewelry donations is the latest event they came up with to tackle a fast-approaching deadline to come up with the money. Flesch said the project has attracted the help of people in the Flathead after an article appeared about a $10,000 donation from valley residents Robert and Phyllis Ekblad, who grew up in Hot Springs.

Flesch invited people to come to the Sunday tea or make a donation.

“We’ll have live entertainment, tea and punch,” she said. “We’re asking $5 at the door.”

People who would like to give tax-deductible donations should make checks payable to Eastern Sanders Co. Hospital District and send it to P.O. Box 204, Hot Springs MT 59845. For additional information, call (406) 741-3752 or (406) 741-2566.