By Stephen Smoot
The lifeblood of any community lies in its traditional organizations of faith and volunteer service. Churches and clubs, such as Lions and the Ruritan, harness the spirit and energy of their members to help make their part of the world a better place, uplifting those who need the most help.
Each church and service club relies not on millions from the government, but on the time, energy, and sweat of members and other volunteers. They also rely on a generous community to provide support in any way it can.
During Treasure Mountain Festival, fortunately, supporting their efforts requires little more than a few dollars and an appetite! Some of the fundraisers could combine for one great meal.
One could pick up the first two courses of their meal from the Sugar Grove Lions Club. Brandon Mitchell explained that their 20 members, with additional help from the Franklin Lions Club and the community, served up the West Virginia traditional dish of soup beans with ham and cornbread.
“The whole community of Sugar Grove came to help out,” said Mitchell. That involved preparation work for cooking, setting up the booth, and a number of other jobs. Those who could not take part with the more physical labor worked at the important task of pulling pebbles from the huge stock of dried beans prior to cooking.”
Many others contributed by baking pans of cornbread in their own kitchens for sale by the Lions. The Lions worked in three hour shifts through the festival to keep volunteer energy high.
Mitchell shared that the Lions always sold traditional West Virginia foods. Before soup beans, their volunteers baked hundreds of kettle cooked chicken pot pies but, as Mitchell said, “That generation moved on.”
For the main course of one’s TMF fundraiser meal, one could next stroll over to the South Fork Ruritan Club’s offerings of sandwiches, nachos, and apple butter.
The Ruritan Club focuses on “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service” and all three attributes were on display at TMF.
Marshall Harper shared that the South Fork Ruritan had operated its booth for many years, explaining that “we’ve been doing this here ever since the bowling alley was built.” He also expressed sincere appreciation for all those who helped the Ruritans for TMF.
These included Mike Weaver, Richard and Jennifer Baker, Jeff and Beth Nelson, Angie Rexrode, Jeff Teagarden, Jeffrey (son of the aforementioned Jeff Nelson) and Jonathan Nelson. Harper gave special thanks to Jane Conrad whose work supporting the club has been vital for many years.
Finally, what dessert tastes better than a fresh baked country pie?
South Mill Creek Church of the Brethren, whose own Anna Lee Alt served as TMF parade grand marshal, rolled out the sweet smell (and taste) of fundraising by baking 426 pies — apple, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, peach, raisin, and a traditional favorite, strawberry rhubarb.
As they posted mouthwatering photographs of endless rows of pies, they said, “Help us help others.”
Their Facebook page promised “They will go fast on this beautiful Treasure Mountain Weekend” and did not lie. South Mill Creek Church of the Brethren sold out at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and declared it was the earliest they ever had.
Fundraising goes to support important projects and programs. The Lions Club has a nationwide mission to help the cause of sightlessness, helping those facing economic challenges to get eye exams and glasses. Funds also support improvements at Sugar Grove Park and other programs. One long term project involves paving the venue’s basketball courts, with an estimated $27,000 price tag.
Some of the programs supported by the Lions Club include providing scholarships to local college-bound seniors every year, maintaining their Oak Flat facility for community events such as the annual poultry association dinner, roadside trash pickups, constructing amenities for homeowners who have lost mobility, and a number of other projects.
Fundraisers also show how much a community can care when tragedy hits a friend of it. Country music star Spencer Hatcher, who along with the Ol’ Son Gang” has been a regular fan favorite in Pendleton County, lost his mother during a brutally violent home invasion in August. The family started the Holly Hatcher Education Foundation in her honor and memory, with the concept of raising funds to help stock classrooms with needed supplies.
Hatcher’s supporters in Pendleton County stepped up to help. Elizabeth Scott shared that “with the awesomeness of our community far and wide, we were able to raise $2,606” for the foundation during TMF. “We are so blessed,” shared Scott on social media.
On his Facebook page, Hatcher gave a “special thank you” to Scott “for the special bracelets she made for Treasure Mountain Festival,” that were sold to raise money for the Foundation. He added to all who helped raise money in three concert stops, “I love all of y’all. God Bless America.”
