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Sanders County Ledger, Annie Wooden | Oct 30, 2025

It's not every day you see a CEO in lederhosen, but Monday was a special day at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. Dr. Gregory Hanson and other senior leaders at the hospital donned traditional Oktoberfest outfits to celebrate the hospital staff raising more than $6,100 for the CFVH Foundation.

Sara Nestor, the Family Medicine Network Manager for CFVH, organized the fundraiser. The hospital sponsored an Oktoberfest meal and celebration for the staff in 2024, and this year Nestor asked Dr. Hanson if he would wear a special outfit. He said yes, but with the catch that the staff try to make it a fundraiser for the foundation.

So with the first $1,500 raised, Dr. Hanson committed to wearing lederhosen at the luncheon, where the CEO was cooking up brats and hot dogs for Oktoberfest. The fundraiser grew from there, and with each $1,000 raised, another member of the hospital's senior leadership got an outfit ready for Monday. Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Eberhardt, Chief Financial Officer Carla Neiman and Chief Operating Officer Jeanie Gentry were all decked out as staff came to the hospital cafeteria to enjoy a free meal on Monday. Staff members found Neiman barely recognizable as a queen, complete with a wig of long blonde braid and a bejeweled crown. Gentry said that as Neiman was getting ready, Gentry just heard uncontrollable laughter from the office next door. Eberhardt's husband Steve, a local artist and the president of the CFVH Foundation, created a themed fundraising thermometer to track donations.

In the end, the staff raised $6,181.55 for the foundation, with Nestor presenting a check to Dr. Hanson on Monday.

"It's a way for us to celebrate the holidays and show appreciation for the staff," Nestor said of Monday's festivities. She said that every month the hospital does a birthday bash and they raffle off money. The first month of the fundraiser, everyone donated their money from the birthday bash to the foundation. "The staff really got around it. Some people gave PTO that was banked and others gave money. We had brand new staff who had only been here a couple days who donated money," Nestor added.

"Sara is a pit bull at fundraising," Gentry said of Nestor's efforts. "It's fun." Neiman added that it is the funnest part of the job. 'We had tremendous support from the staff for this fundraising opportunity."

For lunch, dietary manager Carol Dykstra and her staff served brats, hot dogs, sauerkraut, peppers and onions, along with roasted potatoes, pretzel bites with cheese and a green salad. For dessert there was German chocolate cake and lemon bars. Dykstra, who has had the position for two years, said it was fun to cook a meal that's not in the normal rotation. The staff planned on 150 people for lunch.

With the funds raised with the staff Oktoberfest, as well as money from the Barry Fowler memorial golf classic in September and a Tanner Laws concert at the Rex Theater earlier this year, the foundation was able to purchase an ultrasound machine for the emergency room. "This fundraiser put the amount needed over the top and the ultrasound is now in place," Dr. Hanson said, commending Nestor on her organization efforts. "I think it's wonderful that the employees raised this money. It takes an employee who really wants to drive it."

Nestor said she has been planning Oktoberfest since last year's event, and said it will be hard to top this year's effort. The hospital has a social committee that helps plan events throughout the year. She said the clinics in Plains, Thompson Falls and Hot Springs also participated and donated.

Donations can be made any time to the CFVH Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.cfvh.org/foundation/about-us.