20th Annual Red Oak Elks Lodge Benefit Auction Set for Nov. 14 to Support Hunter Geer

20th Annual Red Oak Elks Lodge Benefit Auction Set for Nov. 14 to Support Hunter Geer

 

Dinner (starting ~4:30 p.m.): Pulled pork, pasta salad, chips, cowboy beans, and coleslaw. Free-will donation. To-go meals are available if you call or text ahead so organizers can have a kit ready.

• Silent auction: Bidding begins as soon as you walk in. Sheets are typically pulled midway through the live auction.

• Live auction: Starts as close to 6:00 p.m. as possible (auctioneer Grant Vrba prefers the top of the hour). Length depends on the number of items and how the bidding goes; past auctions have run a couple of hours.

• Items: Baked goods (pies have historically brought high bids), guns (three this year, including a handgun), gift certificates, baskets, quilts, coolers, kids’ items (bikes and Christmas-ready baskets), and more. Organizers try to have something for everyone. Items are sometimes bought and immediately donated back so they can be sold again.

• Open to everyone: You do not need to be an Elks member. The event is family-friendly and kids are welcome. Elks members, family, and volunteers (including some of Mason’s FFA students) help run the evening.

All money raised—from meals, silent auction, live auction, and direct donations—goes 100% to the Geer family. Organizers keep nothing.

How to Help or Participate

Donations of auction items, baked goods, or cash are still being accepted. You can also contribute even if you cannot attend. Contact:

• Brenda Vrba: (712) 789-0146

• Mallory Sampson: (712) 370-5380

 

Hunter Geer was born July 23 and is now about 3½ months old. Shortly after birth he was diagnosed with aortic coarctation (a narrowed aorta) and a muscular ventricular septal defect (a hole between the lower chambers of the heart). He underwent open-heart surgery on August 13, spent 60 days in the hospital, and only recently came home. He has had his NG tube removed and is now eating, but he continues to face follow-up appointments and ongoing care. His parents are Mason Geer (ag teacher and FFA advisor at Riverside) and Colton Geer (who works at Agroland in Griswold and serves on the Griswold Fire Department). The family also has two other children: Walker (who turns 2 in December) and Daxton (12).