MEDORA
A Medora businessman always tries to attend the HOPE Medora Goes Pink dinner and dessert auction with his family on the second Aug. 14 in August each year.
Mike Reynolds, however, had a special mission when he attended this year’s event Aug. 14 night in the 237 Building at Medora Christian Church on South George Street.
“Glen sent me a text that he wasn’t able to be here, and he asked for someone to make a bid for him,” Reynolds said of his friend, Glen Durham of Vallonia.
“He said he would like to spend $700 on something,” Reynolds said. “It was something he wanted to do in memory of his wife. He just didn’t feel like he could be here tonight.”
Durham’s wife, Jill Roller Durham, died of cancer Aug. 6.
“She was a tough woman,” Reynolds said. “She battled it a long time. She was strong.”
Reynolds, who owns and operates Brickyard Lumber near Medora, wound up getting into a friendly bidding war with his wife, Ada “A.J.” Reynolds, before purchasing a cake for Durham.
This year’s auction — the eighth — raised $12,400, money that will be used toward operating costs for the annual HOPE Medora Goes Pink cancer awareness event.
With the exception of 2020, that event has been held on the second Saturday of October since 2009. This year’s event will be Oct. 9.
Debi Wayman, who founded HOPE Medora Goes Pink with her daughter, Deven Wayman-Shirley, said the dessert auction is about so much more than the money.
“It’s about being together to share memories because when death separates you, that’s all you have,” Debi said. “We don’t get to see each other very often, and you can laugh. When it’s associated with cancer, you usually don’t laugh. We’re here and we’re having a lot of fun. That’s what it is all about.”
Wayman said she thought this year’s event was very successful.
“I think it’s going pretty well,” she said. “You know with COVID and the concerns, some didn’t want to come. We have our tables spread a little further apart.”
As always, those tables featured a variety of themes, from the Reynolds’ Brickyard Lumber to Hee Haw (the Medora Brick Plant and Historical Sites organization) to lady bugs to deer hunters to U.S.A.
Wayman said it always takes a lot of volunteers to pull off the event, including cooking and serving a meal for nearly 270 people and preparing the desserts.
This year, for instance, Mike and A.J.
Reynolds’ daughter, Abbie Reynolds, made a Death by Chocolate Cake. The cake, which featured a chocolate fudge center, chocolate icing, chocolate drip and chocolate-covered strawberries on top, went for $1,000. It was purchased by Miko McRoy, who also was on hand for the bidding. Those unable to attend were able to place bids by phone through Wayman.
That bid didn’t top the
AWARENESS from page A1 to A2
$1,500 Abbie’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups cake brought during the 2019 dessert auction, but it was still the top bid of the night.
The HOPE Medora Goes Pink cancer awareness event in October each year has raised $176,000. All of those funds have been distributed in the form of gift cards to help people battling cancer with food and fuel needs across the country. They also receive a love letter.
“I can tell you firsthand, it’s hell when you hear that word C,” said Roger Hurt, who helps auctioneer Larry Bennett of Medora each year.
“This is one heck of an organization that you have got going on in this little town,” said Hurt, who also provides the sound system for the dessert auction.
“$176,000 from the people in a town that people drive by and don’t even know this is here, give yourself a round of applause.”
Bennett said he recently spoke with a man who received a gas card and a grocery card who didn’t even know about HOPE Medora Goes Pink.
“You’re sending people with cancer money that don’t even know we exist,” he said.
Wayman also recognized those individuals receiving Spirit Awards: Austin Reynolds, Augie Reynolds, Bobbie Sue Snodgrass, Michael Powell, Wyatt Combs, Miko McRoy, Alex McRoy, Barb Lambert, Betty Cochrane, Saundra Sells, Sharon Bottorff, Rhonda Carter, John Hughes, Sue Hughes, Rachel Cockerham, Donna McPike, Carmen Gwin, Connie Cockerham, Mary England, Abbie Reynolds and Vicki Dean.
This year’s HOPE Medora Goes Pink cancer awareness event will feature a 5K run/walk, a cruise-in, a parade and more.