The 16th annual fund raising events for Farmers’ Electric’s Area Youth Benefit Fund have been set for Sunday, Aug. 17 and Monday, Aug. 18.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
The popular dinner-auction will be held for the first time this year at the new Jenkins Center, located in the Livingston County Fairgrounds on the north side of Chillicothe. "We were forced to move the location of our dinner because we simply outgrew the facilities at the Chillicothe Elks Lodge," said Mike Sanders, FEC CEO. "We do appreciate the Elks Lodge for all of their support over the years. They were great to work with."
Until July 1 of this year, the dinner-auction and the golf tournament were the primary means in which money was raised for the charity. On July 1, FEC announced Operation Round Up, a new program that allows every member the opportunity to donate money to the Area Youth Benefit Fund.
FEC established the AYBF in 1993. Its purpose is to provide financial assistance toward the payment of medical bills for children 18 years of age and under. The fund is designed to assist families with children who have been ill or injured in which the parents do not have enough money or health insurance to cover the medical costs.
The AYBF, a 501 (C) 3 charity, primarily operates in the counties of Linn, Chariton, Livingston, Carroll, Ray, Caldwell, Daviess, DeKalb and Clinton. A family that resides in the counties listed above does not have to be a member of the cooperative to receive financial assistance. FEC members who reside in other counties are also eligible for assistance.
A separate board of directors administers the Area Youth Benefit Fund. All applications for assistance are made to this board and the directors have been empowered to administer the fund as they so choose.
At this writing, just over $392,000 has been donated to families in north Missouri.
The Aug. 17 dinner-auction features a number of silent auctions and games, plus a main auction under the call of Colonel Mike Miller. Approximately 300 people attend the dinner each year. A reception begins the evening at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30. The main auction usually begins around 7:45 p.m. The main auction will have a variety of items for sale, including diamond jewelry, limited edition art prints, Waterford crystal, furniture, sports memorabilia and much more. AYBF committee members are currently collecting donations and selling banquet tickets to the dinner-auction.
"If anyone would like to donate an item to the AYBF auction, please contact Gina Truesdell or Steve Shoot," Sanders said. "Every donation to the auction helps us raise money for the children in this area."
The golf tournament on Monday, August 18, is held at the 18-hole Green Hills Golf Course in Chillicothe. For the tenth consecutive year the tournament is being co-sponsored by Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Chillicothe.
Cash donations that have been made by surrounding counties covered by the Area Youth Benefit Fund are as follows:
Caldwell $42,288.71
Carroll $44,175.72
Chariton $32,313.95
Clinton $31,516.15
Daviess $32,915.44
DeKalb $41,364.83
Linn $40,690.39
Livingston $93,621.11
Ray $31,481.83
Gentry $1,000.00
Miscellaneous. $800.00
Total $392,168.13