NEW FALL FUNDRAISING RECORD

Holiday Tree & Wreath Fundraiser Breaks Record - Again

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FORT RILEY, KANSAS, December 1, 2020 — The Fort Riley Spouses Club’s (FRSC) annual holiday tree and wreath auction held the weekend of November 6, 2020, set a new event fundraising record for the third consecutive year, raising over $13,000 for scholarships and community grants.

 

With masks being a part of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, bandana-wearing bandits were welcomed to “Honky Tonk: Bandit Style,” the FRSC’s 2020 annual tree and wreath auction, held online and in-person at Riley’s Community Center on Fort Riley. The mask-themed event brought in over $16,340 before transaction fees and expenses. The net proceeds to the Community Assistance Fund (CAF) were $13,139, a 50% increase over 2019’s record-breaking fall fundraiser, making a third straight year of record-breaking growth.  The CAF affords scholarships and community assistance grants to charities serving Fort Riley service members, veterans, dependents, and survivors.

 

To maintain social distancing and minimize risks, the event took place over three days beginning Friday, November 6, 2020, with in-person portions held on Friday and Saturday evenings followed by an online auction on Sunday, November 8. In-person tickets were limited to four, 2-hour blocks of time for up to 30 attendees to enjoy food, drinks, live dessert auctions, and participate in games to win entries for Opportunity Prizes. In-person attendees could view and pre-bid on silent (online) auction items and submit proxy bids for items in the live auction held during the last group on Saturday and streamed live on Facebook. Mr. Allen Dinkel, City Manager of Junction City, served as auctioneer for live dessert auctions at the end of each session as well as the end of Saturday evening.

 

The FRSC wishes to express its appreciation and gratitude to everyone who made the event possible: Mr. Dinkel, the event volunteers, the sponsors, and the numerous units, Soldier and Family Readiness Groups (SFRG), coffee groups, private organizations, and local businesses who donated items to be auctioned or won as opportunity prizes. The fundraiser was generously sponsored by Katie’s Way, First Command, and the Manhattan Chamber’s Military Relations Committee, whose combined donations covered the expenses making this event possible. FRSC members, spouses, and friends spent hundreds of volunteer hours to ensure the event was successful, and the FRSC is thankful for the continued support it receives from the Fort Riley community.

 

The Fort Riley Spouses Club (FRSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social and charitable organization serving Fort Riley service members and their families by raising and distributing money in the form of grants and scholarships while supporting its members with volunteering, fundraising, networking, and professional development opportunities. Its membership includes active duty and veteran spouses of all ranks and backgrounds who wish to positively impact their community. In addition to monthly member luncheons and numerous sub-club activities, the FRSC hosts semi-annual fundraisers in November and March each year, with grants and scholarships distributed each May.

 

 

The FRSC’s next fundraiser is the Roaring 20s Speakeasy planned for Spring 2021. Donations are being accepted now for auction, and tickets will go on sale in late January. If you would like to donate or otherwise help the FRSC reach its fundraising goal, please visit http://bit.ly/frscauct. If you are a spouse or would like to find other ways to be involved, please visit https://www.fortrileyspousesclub.org/getinvolved.

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