This Tops Them All
Like most of you, I have witnessed some pretty big events in my life. I have been to 39 consecutive Kentucky Derby’s; attended every Alabama National Championship Game since 1973 (except 1992); been to 2 Super Bowls; seen George Strait, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones; Garth Brooks; Kenny Chesney, Rhonda Vincent, Bill Monroe, Elton John and Percy Sledge in concert.
None of this can top what I witnessed this last weekend on Underwood Mountain at the 30th Annual Saddle Up for St. Jude Trail Ride. The music of Marty Raybon and Shenandoah on Thursday night, Jo Dee Messina on Friday night and Saturday night’s headliner, Rodney Atkins, was off the chain.
Nothing could compare to the auction on Saturday afternoon, led by Roland Gargis and Ben Phillips and his team from Phillips Brothers Auction. This feeble attempt to put in words doesn’t do it justice. Yes, over $310,000 was raised in less than 6 hours for the kids at St. Jude. The goal of raising over $350,000 from the auction, will be met and exceeded when all is counted and the online auction finishes up.
When the proceeds from the admission, trail ride fees, camping fees, concessions, vendor proceeds, Qualified Charitable Distributions and late donations come in, St. Jude Children Research Hospital will get a check for more than $500,000. For those who have trouble with arithmetic, that’s half-million dollars to help eliminate childhood cancer in our lifetime.
Our leader and great friend, Jimmy Gardiner, said it best: “It would be easy to just send donations to St. Jude and forget about it. It means more when volunteers go above and beyond making this trail ride event, the number one fund raiser in the nation. It’s the people; the old friends; the new friends and the spirit that connects us all.”
For those who were there, can I get an AMEN? Here is a brief description of the Saturday afternoon auction. First of all, it was about 102 degrees in the shade, a perfect day to dig deep. That didn’t slow anyone’s giving heart down.
Generators, impact drills, paintings, vacation trips to Gatlinburg, homemade tables, custom made grill/smoker by Mike Spiller, hearing aids, full sets of dental braces, diamond rings, trailer loads of horse hay and spruce lumber, swing sets and a Vince Gill signed guitar. Collector’s items like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris baseball cards were donated to be sold.
There were several saddles which were sold only to be donated back to be auctioned again. At many rodeos and roping events, the winners receive custom made saddles worth more than $1,000. They were donated and auctioned off. Susan and I bought some new tack for our horses. A number of horses and buggies brought big money as did a vintage stagecoach which had only been used once. The owner’s widow from Evergreen donated it because in her words: “She wanted to give back.”
The prices that personal made food items brought topped it all. Renae McDonald and Paul Jeffreys made 20-pint jars of pool room slaw. It went for $105 a jar. That’s over $2,000 raised. Shelia Isbell’s cakes went for more than $200 each. Homemade brownies, tea cakes, pies and frozen blueberries raised thousands. Where else would you pay $100 a jar for honey or for a gallon of home-made ice cream?
It gets better.
Julia Gray doesn’t know it, but she is a world-class artist. If she put something in the Louvre in Paris, they would take down and hide the other pictures, including Mona Lisa. She painted the most life-like picture of Jimmy King, the founder of the trail ride who died last year. Her husband, Doug, is a master woodworker and custom built the frame for the picture.
A couple of weeks ago, I said that the picture should bring more than $10,000. I was correct. There was only ONE place for that picture to be displayed and that is in the Leighton Museum at Bank Independent in Leighton for everyone to enjoy. Big-hearted givers got together and bought it for the museum along with a handmade quilt in honor of Jimmy which was donated to the King daughters. By the way, Julia’s painting brought in $19,200 with a few more donations still coming in. It will soon be on display at the museum.
I have saved the best for last. Years ago, a lady started making little crocheted caps for the children at St. Jude to wear and keep their little bald heads warm. Each year, she would make 40 more. After she died, others took up her project. Some Sunday School ladies as far away as Tuscaloosa along with others, crochet them and donate them to St. Jude. When these caps are held up to be “sold” it’s impossible to not envision your own child or grandchild wearing one at St. Jude.
The caps are auctioned off, then bundled up, and sent back to the kids at the hospital. The first cap went for $1,300, then others started raising their bid cards for the same amount. A few “bought” 3 or 4, not for the cap itself but for the sense of giving back. The price went down to $1,000. Hands kept going up. Eventually, the auctioneer started “selling” the caps for $100 each. It was amazing and emotional, hearing Ben and Roland say to the bookkeeper: “#39 gets 2; #187 gets 4; #104 wants 5; put down #2 for 10 more.”
Last year, we raised over $32,000 during this time. When this year’s tally hit $41,000, Ben Phillips turned to Dr. Jimmy Gardiner and said we can’t stop now, we gotta hit $50,000. Parents and grandparents were giving young kids $100 bills to take up to the stage and donate. Do you think there is any chance that those kids will tell their friends today about that? I think I know the answer. There were a lot of allergies acting up in the crowd when the total of $51,000 was announced.
The unsolicited overall comment was the same: “I have never in my life, seen such generous giving people.”
For me, I would sum it up in 4 words:
“This Tops Them All.”
Get me a Kleenex.