September 15, 2008
“It feels good that we can be part of a great cause,” says Sharon Hatten, longtime resident of Wabasha. As she and her husband, Mike, stand outside their two-story white home tucked behind the towering 16+acre corn field, childhood memories emerge of her time spent on this farm, which neighbors Saint Elizabeth’s and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. The property, which has been in the Riester/Carrells family for more than 100 years, was passed onto Sharon and Mike in 2001, following the death of her uncle Robert (Scotty) Riester.
“For the first couple of years, we rented the land to area farmers,” explains Sharon. “But in 2003, we learned of Saint Elizabeth’s Field of Dreams project and decided to offer up the use of the land to help raise funds for the hospital.” Although the couple now resides in Iowa, their generosity continues to have a lasting local impact.
According to Tom Crowley, president of Saint Elizabeth’s, the corn harvest from this year’s fields will go help fund the surgery expansion and renovation project. “Despite a lack of rain, it should be another good year for us. We are grateful to Sharon and Mike, Jim and Kathy Schurhammer, Tony Wallerich, Jake Abbott, Gene and John Marx, and others who continue to invest generously in this project.