The 19th Annual Area Youth Benefit Fund (AYBF) dinner-auction and golf tournament will be held Aug. 7-8, with the goal to raise over $40,000 in 2011.
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"Committee members have already begun selling tickets and picking up donations for the banquet," said Steve Shoot, manager of member services for FEC and coordinator of the AYBF events.
In 1993, Farmers’ Electric established the AYBF for the purpose of providing 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 dinner-auction will be held at the Chillicothe Elks Lodge on Sunday, Aug. 7. A reception will begin that evening at 5 p.m. with dinner to follow at 6. A number of silent auctions will be held throughout the reception and the dinner. At approximately 7:15 p.m. the main auction will be called by Col. Mike Miller.
Tickets are currently being sold by AYBF committee members and a couple of local school organizations. A "Pick-A-Trip" contest is also being conducted by the AYBF in which the lucky winner will have their choice of a trip for two adults and two children to Disney World, or a one-week stay in Cancun, Mexico, or a seven-night western Caribbean cruise for two. All trips include airfare and lodging.
The golf tournament will be held Monday, Aug. 8, at the Green Hills Golf Course. For the 13th consecutive year Pepsi-cola Bottling of Chillicothe will be co-sponsoring the AYBF golf tournament.
"We can’t thank Mike Baker and Donnie Moxley of Pepsi-Cola Bottling enough for all of their support over the years," said Shoot. "Their continued sponsorship and donations help make it possible for us to conduct successful fund raising event every year for the kids in this area."
Every golfer who plays in the tournament will receive a free pair of Footjoy golf shoes, a sleeve of golf balls and more. Golfers are automatically entered at no extra cost with mulligans and a chance to win "skins."
Corporate sponsor golf teams also receive three banquet tickets, plus recognition at the dinner-auction, golf tournament and on the cooperative website.
A wide variety of items will be sold in the silent auctions. There will be a regular silent Auction, Super silent auction and a Super Duper silent auction, each with a different minimum bid.
"If anyone would like to make a donation to our charity event, please call us here at the FEC office," said shoot. "The AYBF is a 501(c)3 charity so any and all donations to the AYBF are tax deductible."
Shoot said committee members would gladly pick up any donations to save members travel time and expense to Chillicothe. "We just need a little notice to make the arrangements to pick up the item or items."
Main auction items this year include a week-long stay at a condo in Siesta Key, Fla.; a Royals suite for 16 people; a shadowbox with a signed Zach Greinke dugout jacket and baseball; two passes to one day at the 2012 Masters Golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.; for tickets to the Missouri-Kansas Border War football game; Waterford crystal; diamond jewelry; limited edition art prints; an autographed electric guitar signed by Eric Clapton; signed item by the three stars of the Harry Potter movies; a framed album cover signed by The Eagles; and more.
To date, the AYBF has donated $494,352 to 471 families. The fund primarily operates in the counties of Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Linn, Livingston and Ray. A family who receives electricity from Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, but resides in a county not listed above also qualifies for AYBF assistance. A family that resides in the counties listed above does not have to be a member of the cooperative to receive financial assistance.
For more information on the Area Youth Benefit fund or its fund raising events just call the office at 660-646-4281 or 1-800-279-0496.