CORE’s Live and Silent Auctions Are a Success!
On May 12th, CORE’s annual fundraiser returned! By any measure, the evening was an unqualified success.
For three years, we went on hiatus because of the pandemic. So, it was with a genuine spirit of gratitude that we were able to invite the friends of CORE to our Branson Campus for festive fun and fellowship and good food.
Festivities began at 5:30 sharp with dinner served. No sooner had guests started to arrive that a veritable symphony of voices filled our sanctuary – the wonderful sounds of so many old friends saying hello and getting reacquainted. It was like old times once again. The warmth and sincerity which our guests extended to our clients and staff warmed our hearts with genuine affection for all.
The auction ran late, but upon tallying the evening’s receipts, we happily learned that the event was the most successful in CORE’s history. All proceeds go toward CORE’s mission of transforming lives, families and communities affected by substance abuse. For this, we have so many people we wish to thank and acknowledge.
A big thank you goes to our presenter Ozarks DynaCom and its family of radio stations. Ozarks DynaCom and their team of marketing professionals got the word out, and the Tri-Lakes communities responded. Local businesses and caring individual made thoughtful, and valuable, auction donations. Our supporters showed up in force. Ozarks DynaCom worked so effectively for our cause; they really made a difference!
Another shout out goes to Kay and Duane Gerken for being our auctioneers! Their charisma and personalities created excitement and spurred bidding. We were amazed at how effortlessly they commanded the room’s attention. They are professionals of course but, wow, they really made our auction fun! Thank you also to Brian Cronin, a longtime friend of CORE, who hopped up on stage to serve as the auction’s ringman!
We also thank Todd Aeschliman and his team at Image Works, Inc. They kept CORE on track from start to finish with our published materials and media releases. Their involvement in helping plan and execute this event not only goes back to many months ago, but Todd himself also visited CORE on the day of the event itself, just hours before show time, with newly updated, event banners. So, thank you Todd, Kari, and Ian for everything!
A special thank you goes out to our Second Mile volunteers, who set up our sanctuary for the big gala, prepared and served the delicious meal, helped run the auction, and cleaned up afterwards so the space would be ready the next day for church services! (Thank you Christos Papanikas for creatively planning the dinner menu and directing meal preparation – everything was delish. Όλα ήταν τέλεια!) For many of our staff, seeing the Second Milers having fun together and enthusiastically working together for CORE’s betterment was a special highlight of our evening. They are CORE’s legacy, ambassadors of recovery, and examples of individuals who are striving after God’s own heart.
All of CORE’s staff contributed to this event, but we would be remiss if we did not expressly mention our HR Manager Tami McKinney. She took a personal interest in every detail of this event. She tackled the tasks before her with great aplomb, working long hours to make sure every detail went smoothly and without a hitch. Thank you Tami!
A big thank you, too, to Bracy Sams for acting as CORE’s lead contact in receiving business donations. Every business from Springfield to Branson knows who he is now. He’s so well-connected that somebody might mistake him for an Ozarks networking guru. Thank you Bracy!
CORE warmly acknowledges all of our sponsors and donors who made this event so special, for our guests, our clients, and for the organization:
