By MEGHAN DURBAK
Jennifer Smith stood next to the long shelves holding stacks of items tagged and ready to be distributed to the bidders. The last few hours were the busiest of the We Care telethon, but Smith didn’t mind.
The 32-year-old from Russiaville was just excited to be present. It was her first year volunteering for the We Care telethon.
“I’ve always wanted to help out,” she said.
Smith was one of nearly 100 new volunteers coming to assist with the We Care auction. She joined her husband, Shad, a long-time volunteer, to take part in one of her favorite charities.
This year the 48-hour telethon brought in a total of $191,274. An additional $49,633.50 came in from other fundraisers, giving the We Care charity $240,907.50 in its 36th year. Last year, the auction raised $317,951.73, or roughly two-thirds of the $464,365 the organization raised in 2007.
The funds are divided among Kokomo Rescue Mission, The Salvation Army, Goodfellows, Bona Vista Rehabilitative Services, the Mental Health America of Howard County’s Holiday Gift Lift program and the We Care Hope Fund for long-term gifting.
The funds raised may be lower, but Becky Varnell, the volunteer coordinator for the telethon, said the community had other ways of showing its generosity.
“There are people that got laid off this weekend and give whatever they can find in their house. It takes us all,” she said.
She said seeing so many new faces was a wonderful thing for the organization.
“It was really great because we needed to get new blood this year,” Varnell said. “As we get older, it’s nice just to know more people that want to help the community.”
We Care co-founder Charlie Cropper felt the auction was a success, calling it “absolutely wonderful.”
“We’ve always said we’ll take whatever the community wants to give us and be happy,” he said. “They came through again.
“People just kept responding,” he said of the telethon. “Obviously this is what we believe in.”
Some favored We Care items brought in a great deal of funding as well as a few new items that were auctioned this year.
The Hope Doll sold for $3,500, to Junior Zimmerman. The White Castle hamburger, or “slider,” put up for auction by former Kokomo Tribune community editor Tom Carey, raised $5,062, with a $2,500 match from Jansen’s Tax Service and Asphalt Sealing. The We Care crystal bell was sold to Kim and Michelle Sunday for $225. King’s Heating and Plumbing purchased the We Care 2008 sign for $1,000.
New items included a one-inch jug on which Mike Sears painted a barn and trees was sold for $1,700 to Scott Delon. Monica Workman bought a 2006 Gulf Stream Travel Trailer, donated by Camper’s Choice, for $5,000. A 1981 Oldsmobile, donated by Wally, Jean and Jimmy O’Neil, was sold to Dan Johnson for $1,200.
A 1996 Lincoln Town Car, donated In memory of Kenneth “Red” Craig, was sold for $1,700 to KMA Service Center. Windfall’s Mike and Phyllis Mullens donated a 1982 Honda motorcycle which was sold to Rosie Rosenbaum for $1,600.
WWKI general manager Mike Christopher said the results of the auction and the response of volunteers were wonderful this year, especially with the economic downturn.
“I’m just so proud to be involved,” he said.
There are still a few more chances to help We Care including the wrap-up auction that will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Kokomo Event Center.
