County Home counts its blessings
With countless volunteers behind the scenes and on the main stage of the auction, the Holmes County Home experienced another blessing as the community turned out in force to support it.
The pavilion area behind the Holmes County Home looked like a very busy furniture store on Saturday, Sept. 15.
The pavilion was lined with bedroom suites, dinette sets, roll top desks, hardwood kitchen tables, dressers and myriad types of furniture. The grounds near the pavilion were lined with outdoor furniture, from full picnic table and chairs to a large number of gliders, chairs and tables.
All of that furniture plus a whole lot of other items made up the slate of items put up for bid at the annual Holmes County Home Fall Auction, and two packed tents of bidders made for yet another successful auction that will in turn provide funds to help the county home continue to make a better life for its 44 residents and the staff.
The 47th annual Holmes County Home Fall Benefit Auction saw perfect weather and plenty of auction action as the latter half of the support process came together.
Aden Hershberger, who heads up the auction, said success hinges on three legs.
The first is the auction committee, which works diligently to put together all of the different parts of the two-day event that begins on Friday night with plenty of food and a volleyball tournament that saw play go past midnight with a huge crowd on hand to watch.
The second is the donations from the many area businesses and individuals who provide all of the merchandise for the auction. That included the women and churches who hand-quilted 37 quilts as well as monetary donations that helped cover the cost of a 32-by-48-foot building with a block foundation.
“The support we have received over the years is overwhelming,” Hershberger said. “Year after year people give. People give what they can give. Some can afford to give a lot, and others can afford to give a little, but it all comes from the heart.”
The third and final leg is the people who turn out en mass to support the home through their bids.
Hershberger said he continues to marvel at the way people complete the trifecta of auction necessities, yet at the same time he isn’t shocked at all.
“It all started Friday night,” Hershberger said. “We had a huge turnout. We have never turned away so many volleyball teams. We reached our limit, and we can’t take on any more teams, but we could have had so many more. And the support we got again for the auction is overwhelming. We have gotten to the point where it isn’t even a surprise to see so many people come out and support us, but in the back of your mind, you always wonder if people will show up. They always do, and we will never take that for granted. We are very blessed to live in a community where people are so willing to invest in others. The donors start this, and the bidders cap it off.”
In addition to the two main auctions, there also was a kids auction where kids did the bidding and in some cases even came up to perform as auctioneers.
According to Holmes County Home Superintendent Deb Miller, recent auction funds helped improve the standard of living in the home and have seen the home create a beautiful walking path around the campus, complete with benches and a gazebo, improved restrooms, and the laundry room.
Last year they were able to purchase a golf cart and a Can-Am ATV to transport residents to the walking path, and plans for this year’s funds will be to update the call-light system that helps residents notify the staff when they need help. The home also is taking steps in creating a new activity room area.
Hershberger said while most people think about helping the residents through the auction, it also is a benefit for the many staff members who commit to caring for the residents.
“It takes a special person to do the job they do,” Hershberger said. “Take Deb [Miller] for example. I don’t think people realize what a great job she does and Leslee Mast before her. She might get a call in the middle of the night, and off she goes to take care of a problem. It’s a serious job, and she does a fantastic job, and when the staff sees this kind of support, it does lift their spirits a great deal.”