Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction ready to help meet many needs
From schools and orphanages to clean water, food and medical supplies, the Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction Sept. 4-5 will continue to provide funds for 18 organizations committed to helping the people of Haiti.
When the Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction of Mt. Hope and its members and supporters made a commitment to supporting the people of Haiti, whether it is with food and water, schools, housing, orphanages or whatever crisis the nation might be facing, it was a commitment that wasn’t made to take place only when things were going well.
The 34th annual Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction will go on as schedule Sept. 4-5 at Mt. Hope Auction, and despite the struggles being faced right now as the United States and even Holmes County battles through COVID-19, the support for the people of Haiti remains as strong as ever.
Amish Country’s commitment to the people of Haiti stems from the joy and love of giving and helping others. It is a servant attitude based on scripture from I John 3:17, which reads, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
Tough times here in the U.S. have done nothing to quell the commitment to serving the people of Haiti through the annual benefit auction.
“We are so blessed to live in a community that cares so deeply about others,” Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction chairman Daniel Miller said. “While we may have struggles here that we see as being big, many people in Haiti are living day to day, not knowing what each new day will bring. This auction gives Christians and people who truly care a chance to share with those less fortunate.”
The auction will move ahead as planned, although safety will be in high demand.
“We will be taking every precaution possible to create a safe atmosphere because we realize the importance of being safe, but we also realize the value and importance of what we are doing here for the people of Haiti,” auction coordinator Aaron Miller said. “The funds we raise through this auction are critical to the well-being of the people of Haiti. People here want to give to those in need, and we recognize a great need right now in Haiti, which is why we will move forward with the auction while at the same time taking great precautions.”
That will include masks, distancing as much as possible and additional hand sanitizing stations.
This annual event has always provided some keen insight into the many different organizations that have cropped up to aid the people of Haiti. Providing wells for clean water, building markets to sell goods, building schools and orphanages, and providing life-saving medical platforms are all critical to the people of Haiti.
The Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction has allowed 18 different organizations it supports to gather in one place to tell the story of how their respective outreach missions have made a major impact, and that opportunity will be available once again.
The event will begin Friday, Sept. 4 when the multitude of quilts up for auction go on display. The evening will feature a full barbecue chicken dinner, Mississippi catfish, seafood, dressing and noodles, Haitian rice and beans, pie, ice cream and more.
The Nathan Overholt family will provide an evening of a capella singing while keynote speaker Phil Byler will speak.
On Saturday there will be a full breakfast of pancakes and sausage, scrambled eggs, fried mush, hash browns and more. The main auction will begin in the event center at 8 a.m. with furniture hitting the auction block at 9:30 a.m.
In the Dean Beachy Building, the tool auction will kick off at 8:30 a.m., and the quilt auction will take place at 10 a.m. Patrons interested in livestock can head to the auction barn for the livestock auction beginning at noon. The heifer and livestock benefit auction is unique in that the animals sold were raised specifically to sell at this auction, with all of the proceeds going to the many missions supporting the people of Haiti. The funds from the animals go toward supporting agricultural development and other self-help programs in Haiti.
“We have a huge selection of auction items, and we have been so blessed by the many businesses that have donated again this year,” Aaron Miller said.
As for the main auction, there is no shortage of quality or quantity. Aaron Miller said there are many great items on the auction block, and people have been calling him to make donations as compared to him reaching out to the public.
“I think with the shortage of auctions we have seen in our area, people want to give,” Aaron Miller said. “People here have very giving hearts, and they see and hear the struggles of the people in Haiti, and they understand how all of these various organizations are reaching out to Haiti to help the people there, so they want to give.”
The big ticket items include a JDM 10-by-16-foot shed, a 32-by-50-foot garage with a 6-foot overhang, PlayMor and Weaver’s Vinyl swing sets and playhouses, a 10-by-12-foot cabin by Miller’s Storage barns, bedroom suites, dining room furniture, a Woods brush hog, a Ferris 60-inch zero turn lawn mower, a John Deere Model 4200 tractor, horses, buggies and carts, e-bikes, a huge host of quilts, collectibles and furniture, a 6-by-12-foot flatbed trailer, outdoor lawn furniture galore and more.
For those involved in this annual event, the joy that comes with working together as one to help others is the best of all rewards.
“The better we serve each other, the better God can work through us,” Daniel Miller said. “This is a good chance for us to be the tools that God uses in his work.”
A complete list of auction items can be located at www.OhioHaitiAuction.com/auction.