Holmes County sold on supporting its training center
By Dave Mast
May 16, 2014
398
While the word sold was a common one at the annual Holmes County Training Center Spring Festival and Auction, what was more evident than ever is how the people of Holmes County are sold on the HCTCs ability to provide an incredible service to the county.
On Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, the Holmes County Training Center and Lynn Hope Industries presented the 38th annual Spring Auction and Festival, and as usual, the local community and far beyond turned out en masse to support this huge and quite crucial fundraiser.
The end result was a festival and auction which raised around $140,000, blasting past the previous record of about $130,000.
Over the top, said Rhoda Mast, HCTC administrator of the weekend. What an amazing turnout, and what incredible support. There is a strong sense of commitment, there is a strong sense of compassion, and we are all about the commitment to quality of life no matter who you are.
Friday night kicked off the weekend festivities with plenty of great food and a gigantic volleyball tournament which saw the teams playing into the darkness of night under the lights.
Even though some spotty weather threatened, it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the volleyball participants or the throng of people who came to watch.
In addition, people could get a sense of some of the things which would be auctioned off the next day.
The following morning brought with it a new sunrise and a sense of anticipation for the fun-filled day yet to come. After a large breakfast by donation and a bake sale, the craft and furniture auction portion of the event kicked off at 9 a.m. At the same time a silent auction began, as well as the childrens games.
With a chicken barbecue lunch beckoning, patrons had to make the choice whether to hang with the auction or grab a bite to eat. Fortunately, most simply chose to have lunch at the same time, some perhaps even using that chicken leg to proffer up a bid.
The special auction went to the block at 1 p.m., followed immediately by the quilt auction, which continued the long-standing tradition of many local families, church groups and organizations creating stunning handmade quilts specifically for this auction. More than 100 quilts, comforters and wall hangings graced the auction and helped raise a lot of money, which will go directly toward benefitting the students and adults of the Holmes County Training Center.
It was a great weekend, with an amazing amount of support, said Bob Boss, HCTC board member. We need to work at this every year, and we dont ever want to take anything for granted, but there are a lot of people who make this a priority, from the businesses who donate such wonderful items to the auction to those who come and buy.
Plus, the Holmes County Handicapped Association is such a great association. They work so hard, along with the staff, to put this weekend on. They do so much for this place it is amazing.
Boss said that with the many budget cuts the center has had to make over the past several years, and with state and federal funding continuing to decrease, the Handicapped Associations aid has become that much more important.
Without them helping out this place would not be what it is today, said Boss.
What brings it all home is when people outside of the county talk about what a great facility the HCTC is, and how fortunate the county is to have such a tremendous training center. Boss said he was recently with his son at Akron Childrens Hospital, and when they found out he was from Holmes County, they gushed about how fortunate the Boss family was to have such a great place to take their son.
Were blessed to have this place, and when people outside are talking about your facility like that, you know we are very fortunate.
