Annual Rainbow of Hope benefit auction helps more families than ever in 2012

  • By Jenna Polen
  • July 29, 2012
  • 347
                        
Summary: The 26th annual Rainbow of Hope benefit auction was held Saturday July 28th, at the Mt. Hope auction barn. The event is known for the auction but also hosts a variety of events, such as a bake sale, kids activites, and a chicken barbeque. The events proceeds goes to help local familes in need of financial help. Saturday, July 28, marked the annual Rainbow of Hope benefit auction held at the Mt. Hope Auction Barn. The annual auction is held as a fundraiser to help local families. The money raised went to helping families pay for medical expenses from children who are ill. Each year the sale raises money through the auction, donation breakfast, bake sale, and much more that goes on throughout the day, and this year was no different. “We had so many people turn out for the auction and each year it just keeps growing, the auction has more and more items donated and more and more people come out to support,” said President and Founder of Rainbow of Hope, Henry Hershberger. The day kicked off with hundreds of people showing up for the breakfast, which was all by donation. Visitors could enjoy pancakes, eggs, sausage, mush, potatoes, donuts, coffee juice, and much more. Every bit of the food was all donated by local businesses and every bit of the proceeds will go into the fund to help local families. “Every year our auction and the event in general gets bigger, and we are able to help more families. We want to have more people involved and we want to be able to help as many families as we can,” said Hersberger. Followed during the day were the bake sale, kid’s activities, and the main event, the auction. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. furniture and miscellaneous items were auctioned off, including the best seats in the house that went to the first bidder, Tom Douglas. Each year, ten folding chairs are auctioned off, with two of them being the best seats in the house, right in the front row. Following was the quilt and furniture auction, the auction highlights, the livestock auction, large lawn furniture, and the Wagon of flowers. Each of the auctions had items that were donated and handmade by local businesses and churches. During the day kids enjoyed games, train rides, and plays sets that were scattered around the auction barn. Kids could also enjoy the homemade ice cream, soft pretzels, sno cones, and much more throughout the auction day. The event started Friday evening with a chicken barbeque, volleyball tournament, and a tool and fun auction. The evening also hosted live entertainment and a guest speaker. Native American speaker Dr. Don Bartlette shared an inspirational story of the challenges of growing up in poverty with speech and other disabilities. Bartlette spoke of having suffered from school and family violence, racism, and child abuse and living in an environment of alcoholism. “Our guest speaker was really great. We had a lot of people who came out to listen to his story and everyone enjoyed what he had to say,” said Hershberger. The auctions lasted for over six hours, filled with items such as buildings, oak furniture, bedroom sets, tools, and even home spun quilts. The auction was started 26 years ago when locals figured out a way to help a family pay their medical expenses and has turned into a huge event that many look forward to each year. Over 120 volunteers made the whole weekend possible. From serving food, to moving furniture, and even helping at the bake sale the event wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers. “I’ve been volunteering for the auction for seven years, and after being asked to help I always look forward to it. It’s a great time and I enjoy seeing everyone come together,” said volunteer Norman Stutzman. Hershberger also said, “We couldn’t do this without the community support and the general public. We even have people who come out of state and visit just for the auction. The support we have is really incredible. It takes a lot of people to make this work.” The auction had no specific goal of how much really needed to be raised, but rather focuses on helping as many people as possible.


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