DEC. 10, 2004 | The10th annual Aromatique sale to benefit the UAMS Medical Center Auxiliary brought in $65,000, bringing the total raised over 10 years to more than $659,000.

The sale, held Nov. 5 in the Jeff Banks Student Union at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), featured bargain prices on hundreds of discontinued items donated by Aromatique, which manufactures decorative fragrances, oils, room sprays, candles, bath products decorative containers and accessories.

“It’s been a wonderful partnership. This year’s sale was one of the Auxiliary’s largest events ever,” said UAMS Volunteer Services Director Liz Genz, who marked her 10^th year to coordinate the fund-raiser.

Genz presented a watercolor portrait to Aromatique Director of Publicity Peggy Harris the day of the sale to thank the company, owned by Patti and Dick Upton of Heber Springs. The painting, by UAMS graphic artist and watercolorist Lynn Bell, hangs in Aromatique’s headquarters in Heber Springs. Dick Upton is on the UAMS Foundation board.

The Auxiliary uses the money for hospital projects such as the UAMS Family Home, which provides housing to families of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. The money also has been used to buy equipment for the hospital and fund cancer research at the Arkansas Cancer Research Center at UAMS.

The event begins long before the doors open at 7 a.m. the day of the sale. The preceding week, Aromatique employees Jeff Neighbors, Kenneth Martin, Robert Hammons, Walter Rush, Dot Frederickson, Debbie Brewster, Tammy Rains, Patsy Whitaker, Toni Thompson, Tina Lajeunesse, Debbie Dill and J.W. Thomas gathered the items and prepared the price list.

It took a full day to pack the tractor-trailer donated for the service by Plant Truck Line in Heber Springs. UAMS volunteers help unload the truck and stack the items around the Student Union, transforming it into a huge boutique smelling of cinnamon, Christmas trees, eggnog and other scents.

Aromatique employees Peggy Harris, Geneva Jauch and Marilyn Wright were on hand to assist UAMS employees and volunteers in setting up the merchandise and represented Aromatique during the sale, answering questions about the products and helping to market the merchandise. UAMS staff and volunteers put in a total of 480 hours to ensure the sale’s success.

Mary Cantrell, director of the Clinical Skills Center in the UAMS College of Medicine, has worked the sale for five years and this year marked her third as chairman of the Auxiliary’s Aromatique Sale Committee.

“The Uptons graciously and enthusiastically send employees down here each year to help with the sale and we have a ball,” Cantrell said. “It’s the greatest way to make the most money at one time for the hospital.”

UAMS is one of the top research hospitals in the United States, and patients from around the world travel to the hospital for specialized care. Proceeds from these annual fundraisers are used to improve the health care of the residents in Arkansas and worldwide.

UAMS has been able to purchase numerous pieces of advanced medical equipment, such as specialized fetal monitors for newborns and Ophthalmic Laser Equipment for the Harvey and Bernice Jones eye Institute. Proceeds have helped fund testing of new vaccines for cervical and uterine cancer. Funds have also been used to improve patient services and provide for the transportation and housing needs of patients and families.