ELLY GRIMM
Leader & Times
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) organization does a lot of good for many veterans in the area and soon, there will be a chance for the community to help them in return.
There will be a banquet and auction to benefit VFW Post 3166 at the Seward County Ag Building Saturday, April 27. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., along with the silent auction, and dinner (which includes steak, baked potatoes, salad, green beans, and cookies) will start at 6:30 p.m., with a live auction to follow. Sponsor tables are $500 (and that includes eight seats and a chance to win the sponsor gun), and there are still some sponsor tables available. Single tickets are $30, couple tickets are $50, tickets for children 6 to 16 years old are $10, and children 5 years old and younger are free. People can purchase their tickets by getting in touch with Daniel Strickland at (620) 200-9291, Brenda Mallory at (620) 482-1128 or Caily Grindle at (620) 655-5886.
Strickland said there is a lot of excitement surrounding the event.
“We've been to a few other similar events, and it's always fun for everyone who comes out. It's also a great way to raise money and awareness for the VFW and give everyone who comes out a good time and a good meal,” Strickland said. “We wanted to do something different that would help get people involved and interested in the VFW and put more focus on the organization as a whole. Also, one of our members is the premier sponsor of a different banquet, so he knows what all is involved and how to put everything together, and that gave us a bit of a leg up. I think it'll be a great night, and I think it'll be a great way to spread the word about what we do.”
With this being the inaugural version of the event, Strickland said he hopes to see high turnout.
“First and foremost, it's going to be a great time. Everyone should have a lot of fun, and you get a great steak dinner and drinks on us. The live and silent auctions should also be great, we've got a lot of great items that will be up for bid, so there are multiple chances for people to take home some great prizes,” Strickland said. “The VFW is also a great organization – Liberal has one of the top VFW chapters in the state of Kansas, and we do more out of our little community than many other VFW chapters do. Our post commander, James Langley, is also the state VFW commander, which is a really great benefit to us and brings some attention to Liberal. We'd like to let the community know we're here and let them know what we do for local veterans. We try to do as much as possible, and being a national organization, there are certain other causes and entities we support, but we also want to do as much as possible for our local veterans. The more we can get the word out, the better, and we'd love to see more veterans get involved with our organization. We also still have some of the corporate tables available, so if your business would like to be part of this event, just get in touch with us and we'll get you all set up. And I will add, for anyone wanting to attend, they do have to purchase their tickets ahead of time, they will not be available at the door.”
Strickland also emphasized the funds raised that evening will remain in the community.
“The money raised from this event will remain in the community and will be going toward our work with local veterans. None of the money will be going to the state organization or national organization, it will all remain right here in Liberal to help with the veterans who visit our post,” Strickland said. “We'll also be doing some other fundraisers, and we're also looking to make some upgrades to our facilities, because the age of some things is starting to show. We've also got some scholarships we fund. But, just so people know, the money we raise will remain right in Liberal.”
And for those who will be unable to attend the event but still wish to support the VFW’s work, Strickland said there are multiple ways they can do so.
“We're always looking for monetary donations and donations of various items for the veterans who come in, and anyone wanting to make a donation just needs to get in touch with any of us and we'll be happy to get that settled,” Strickland said. “With the event, if anyone has some items they'd like to donate to either of the auctions, we'd be more than happy to accept those as well.”
Strickland said a lot of work and time has gone into the event in order to make it a success the first time around.
“This event has been a lot of fun to put together, and we've had a great time working with everyone to make it as successful as possible,” Strickland said. “And like I said earlier, that evening should be a lot of fun for everyone, there's going to be great food and great prizes people could go home with. We encourage people to bring their family and friends, it's truly an event that's open to everyone. We'd love to pack the house. We've got the experience behind the scenes that should help everything go well, and we've already sold quite a few tickets and tables, so we're already expecting a big crowd that evening, which we're happy about. We're playing things by ear just a little bit this time around, since it's our first event, but I'd love to see this become an annual event for the community that grows and evolves as time goes on.”
