El Dorado Main Street held a fundraising raffle drawing on Friday, October 30th at their downtown office.
John Prigmore pulls the winning names from the hopper as Timm Gaughan provides a drum roll in anticipation.
The fundraiser was held to provide operational funds to support the activities of El Dorado Main Street. On hand to pull the winning tickets were Timm Gaughan of El Dorado Music Lessons, Leon Leachman, President of El Dorado Main Street and John Prigmore.
“We had to cancel our annual Steak Bonanza fundraiser, so this was a great replacement event,” said Emily Connell, Executive Director of El Dorado Main Street.
“In hard times like we’ve been having it’s really wonderful to have sponsors step up to help a non-profit continue to work by offering items to be raffled,” said Connell. “We are so appreciative of our raffle sponsors, Sutherland’s El Dorado and John Prigmore.”
“We met our fundraising goal and even surpassed it,” Connell said.
Sutherland’s of El Dorado donated a $1,000 gift certificate and the winner was Laken Wise. John Prigmore donated a gorgeous, handmade, old fashioned, wooden ice box replica and the winner was Waneta Dunn.
The American Legion Family is truly one big family and that family came together to support one of its own — the Glaves family. Legionnaire and Rider, Rick Glaves’ youngest son, Jeff, died tragically last month in a car accident.
Due to a preexisting medical condition, Jeff was unable to obtain life insurance. Numerous friends and community members have made contributions to help provide for final expenses and establish educational funds for his children, Laynie, Cole and Jesse.
Clockwise from back, Rick Glaves, Kathy Glaves, Cole Glaves, Laynie Glaves and Jesse Glaves.
But the American Legion Captain Edgar Dale Post #81 wanted to do more, so they organized a Benefit Biscuit and Gravy Breakfast and Cornhole Tournament with proceeds going to the Glaves fundraiser.
Full and half orders of biscuits and gravy was served with coffee, juice and water.
According to Steve Seymour, Post Commander, “Rick Glaves is a member and officer of the American Legion and we wanted to do this for his grandchildren.”
“This is what we do,” said Seymour. “We take care of our members, children and youth and this was the right time to do it.”
While the Legion is known for hosting Bingo on Friday and Saturday nights, they have been discussing the possibility of hosting Cornhole tournaments for about a year and a fundraiser tournament was the perfect way to kick them off.
“We will start holding tournaments on Saturdays, and that will be announced in the future,” said Seymour.
Dear Readers, permit me to set aside my journalistic detachment to the news I typically present, and indulge me in the opportunity to share my heart regarding my friend Jeff Glaves.
Jeff Glaves, owner of Glaves Realty and beloved son, brother, father, uncle and friend to many.
I worked, both, with and for Jeff on several different occasions over the 20 plus years we knew each other. He was among the first people I met after moving to Kansas. He was finishing his degree at Wichita State University and about to marry Janell Crenshaw. During their 13 year marriage, I had the privilege of watching them create a family with 3 beautiful children Laynie, Cole, and Jesse.
It is my earnest hope and prayer everyone has or will have a friend like I had in Jeff. I am not the only person who had a special connection with him. It had nothing to do with me but rather him – it’s who he was.
Jeff, surrounded by his children, from left to right, Cole, Laynie and Jesse.
His parents, Rick and Kathy (Brown) Glaves, raised Jeff, and his brother Scott, to look up to God and reach out to man. They so generously shared him with the world, that many of us thought of him as “Our Jeff.”
The Light of Jesus shined so brightly through him, it was visible. He was a kind, thoughtful gentleman, through and through. He was the gentlest of men with a servant’s heart and never met a stranger. He was a jokester with an infectious laugh and had a smile that you felt.
He was imperfectly perfect and understood his own weaknesses to the degree that he drew his quiet, inner strength from his dependence on Jesus. Second to his love for Jesus, was his love for his family. He was a prayer partner for and with me. One of his ongoing requests, and the last one he asked of me, was for his children and their walk with the Lord. I know of no greater honor or tribute that I can give to my friend, nor would he want, than to point them to Jesus.
An entrepreneur at heart, Jeff was a Realtor and owner of Glaves Realty, and helped many families find the house they called home. However, evangelism was his greatest desire. He told me that if he could set aside working for a living to tell others of Jesus, he would. I am certain his twinkling eyes are smiling at the knowledge we will gather to remember “Our Jeff” in a venue that was so special to him and will serve as one of the largest evangelistic opportunities he ever had and remind us of the purpose of life – to prepare for eternal life.
Funeral services will be held at the Bluestem Football Stadium in Leon on Friday, September 25 at 10am. Jeff will be laid to rest at Leon Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Jeff’s name may be directed to the Fund for Expenses and Children’s Education in care of Rick Glaves and sent to Carlson Funeral Home, 200 S. Star, El Dorado, Ks 67042.
Additionally, a GoFundMe Fundraiser account has been established by Victoria Gates on behalf of Rick Glaves.
According to the fundraising site, “Jeff passed away in a tragic car accident on Saturday, September 19, 2020 in El Dorado. Unfortunately, Jeff did not have life insurance. This GoFundMe is being established to help his family cover the costs of his funeral and for future educational endeavors for his three children. All donations will be handled by his father, Rick.”
With school beginning on August 26th for El Dorado Public Schools, one student is using the last few, lazy days of summer to hold a lemonade stand.
Bethany Chegwidden, left, Janessa Knapp, center, and Josh Wolf, right.
Janessa Knapp will enter the Second Grader at Grandview Elementary this year and learned her former Art teacher, Tiffany Harris, had a large mass in her lung that had to be removed.
According to a GoFundme page set up for Harris, she was recently hired to start a new teacher position In a different district. Since Harris is new to the district, she has no sick leave banked therefore, once her contract days for sick leave are used, she will no longer have a paycheck.
Customers Bethany Chegwidden and Josh Wolf purchase lemonade from Janessa Knapp.
Funds raised through GoFundme will be used to pay medical bills and provide time off for Harris to heal.
Knapp asked her parents if she could have a lemonade stand to raise money to help offset costs.
On Sunday August 16th Knapp, wearing a citrus themed sundress made by her grandmother, Jimna Knapp, served refreshing lemonade from behind a stand built by her father, Jeff Knapp and grandfather Duane Knapp.
Knapp will sell lemonade, again, on Sunday, August 23rd from 1-3p and plans to donate proceeds to her Art teacher.
Nearly 350 guests attended Butler Community College Foundation’s 22nd Butler Benefit Auction. The evening’s theme, “Butleropoly,” lent a fun and festive air to the annual fundraising event.
Betsy and Scott Redler, 22nd Butler Benefit Auction honorary chairs.
Betsy and Scott Redler served as honorary chairs for the event. Scott, COO and co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, has had continued involvement with the culinary arts and hospitality management programs for nearly 25 years. In 2017, the Redlers established an endowed scholarship for a student in those academic programs.
“We were fortunate to have people support us along our journey toward our dream of restaurant ownership,” Betsy and Scott said in their message to attendees. “Now it’s our turn to help someone else achieve their dreams – that is the best reward for us.”
An extra special feature this year highlighted Butler’s renowned culinary arts and hospitality management programs, led by instructors Chef John Michael and Alexis Michael. Guests visited “properties” based on the Monopoly theme to taste hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by culinary arts’ Garde Manger classes. Each table had a theme: Boardwalk, Kentucky Avenue, Mediterranean Avenue, Oriental Avenue, and Pacific Avenue. Table displays and help with service was provided by hospitality management’s Event Planning classes.
“Interaction with our students means the donors are able to truly see the impact of their gifts,” said Mary Moon, executive director of community advancement and Butler Benefit Auction event director. “Providing a platform for the students to showcase their talent is very rewarding.”
Total funds raised topped out at $238,000. The evening featured silent, super silent, and live auctions, a dice roll game for drawing prizes, and a golden ticket drawing. With an ending bid of $8,000, the highest-selling item of the night was a live auction package of Kansas City Chiefs tickets that included Founder’s Club entry tickets and a gold parking pass for Arrowhead Stadium. The item was donated to the auction by Butler alumna Angela Hurt (’97), CEO of Veracity Consulting in Kansas City.
The second-highest selling item was an ‘Extraordinary Culinary Arts Dinner.’ The dinner, for 10 guests and hosted by the Redlers, will feature an array of small plates crafted by culinary students and paired with wines from the Redlers’ collection. The dinner sold for $7,500.
Laura Schneider, a fourth semester nursing student from Wichita, spoke to the attendees saying she never dreamed she would be going back to school as a non-traditional student working on a second career. Schneider will graduate from the nursing program in May and work in the cardiothoracic ICU at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis.
Along with the culinary arts and hospitality management students, one dozen livestock judging students assisted throughout the event – from selling drawing tickets to working during the live auction. Theatre students assisted Mittlestadt Props & Design, owned by Butler alumnus Tom Mittlestadt, with décor and set up. The Noteables women’s barbershop quartet sang as guests arrived and assisted with the dice roll game. The Smorgaschords men’s barbershop quartet also sang and two members, Scott Slack and Sam Rinkenbaugh, emceed for the evening.
“Growing up in EduCare from the time I was a toddler until I was in kindergarten was a big part of why I came to Butler,” said Rinkenbaugh, son of Bill Rinkenbaugh, vice president of student services. “As a freshman my experience has only affected me positively.”
Slack, a fire science student, lives in the fire house in El Dorado as part of the hands-on learning experience that program provides.
“With your help I was given the opportunity to become a part-time firefighter for the city of El Dorado,” Slack said. “I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and passion and for helping students grow and obtain a better education.”
Top sponsors for the evening were: HollyFrontier, Bank of America, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, BG Products, Commerce Bank, IMA, Professional Engineering Consultants and BKD.
Deanna Bonn 
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