A crowd of 150 people attended the 2024 Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation annual spring fundraiser on Tuesday, April 16th. The evening’s theme was a BBq, a Boardwalk BBq. The foundation was excited to have the brand-new SEK Impact Center serve as the site for the evening’s festivities. Doors opened at 6 pm. Approximately $12,000 was raised during the evening from stretch, silent and live auctions. New this year was our wine pull pong game and axe throwing.
Attendees were treated to a delicious BBq meal of pulled pork, pulled chicken, cole slaw, and baked beans furnished by The Hangout of Chanute, KS. Dessert was peach cobbler in Waffle cones coated in chocolate, which were provided by Tri-Valley Director of Programming Brenda Harrison. Neosho County Community College students helped serve the meal. Door prizes were courtesy of Tri-Valley’s Fort Scott Greenhouse, Special Olympics of Kansas, Opie’s Restaurant, Oriental Tracking Company, 4Imprint, and Jennifer Dietsch State Farm.
As in year’s past, the live auction was the highlight of the evening. For 2024, we had two trips courtesy of Monarch Cement Company; a 3-night stay at the Historic Rancho de la Osa Dude Ranch in Arizona and a 3-night stay at a Tiffany’s B & B in Arkansas. Other items auctioned off include: a Breckenridge CO vacation package courtesy of Home Savings Bank; a Branson MO vacation package courtesy of Community National Bank; a full-size recliner courtesy of Ruddick’s Furniture in Fort Scott; Dinner for 10 courtesy of Brenda Harrison; a metal art piece, a pair of sunflower windmills, and tickets to the 2024 Symphany in the Flint Hills, to be held in Greenwood County.
All money raised from the evening will go towards the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation projects. Since 2001, the Foundation has built six homes and acquired eight additional homes and a duplex. The houses are located in our communities of Buffalo, Chanute, Fort Scott, Humboldt, Iola, Moline, and Neodesha. These houses are home to 72 of our neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by Tri-Valley Developmental Services.
“The evening was fantastic”, said Bill Fiscus, CEO. “The food, drawings and conversation were phenomenal. Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you had an enjoyable evening and look forward to seeing you all in 2025.”
A big thank you goes to the evening’s sponsors. Promenade Level: Steve Faulkner Ford, Monarch Cement Company, and David & Beth Toland
Colonnade Level: Community National Bank – Chanute, Hofer & Hofer & Associates, Home Savings Bank, and IMA.
Esplandae Level: Ash Grove, Cardinal Drug, Community National Bank – Eureka, Jarred, Gilmore & Phillips, CPA, and Peerless Products
Arcade Level: Bank of Commerce, Hi-Lo Industries; and Cheney Witt Chapel.
Special thanks go to Dave Petersen who served as Emcee; Larry Holman for photography; and Anna Methvin and Crystal Poovey with SEK Impact Center