The Wells County Boys and Girls Club held its annual banquet and auction

By BARBARA

BARBIERI

Twenty-one area sponsors assisted in presenting the Wells Community Boys and Girls Club 7th Annual “Making a Difference” Banquet and Auction at the club on Monday evening.

Musical entertainment was provided by Ben and Bret Beer, at right, and Eric Baker, at left

Pre-program musical entertainment was presented by Ben and Bret Beer and Eric Baker, after which Dan Pfister served as the emcee and Club President Dan Lipp greeted those attending.

Club member Robbie Yergler also welcomed attenders after which Gene Bell offered a prayer. 

Ån active auction was conducted by the Steffen Group, with Nick Huffman, at the left, and Issac Stoller, at the right. (Photos by Barbara Barbieri)

Board members of the club served as the wait staff for the buffet dinner catered by The Corner Depot. Decorations were by Fawn Gerber and Melinda Gilgen of A Perfect Blend.

Guest speaker Wayne Barker was introduced by Kole Meyer, who had been one of the teachers at Bluffton High School when Barker had been both a coach and also the superintendent of the Bluffton-Harrison School system.

Guest speaker for the evening was Wayne Barker, superintendent of Northwest Allen County Schools and former Bluffton-Harrison M.S.D. superintendent. He was introduced by Kole Meyer. (Photos by Barbara Barbieri)

Barker explained that he always felt like he was coming home when he returned to Bluffton after having spent 14 years as a coach and 10 years as the superintendent.

He reminded those in attendance about the importance of the school system working with the Boys and Girls Club and how he had discovered people here willing to go the extra mile for children. He cited examples of people willing to do so as Bluffton High School Principal Steve Baker, Bluffton High School fan Edna Wenger and Kent Ringger, author of “The Up Life.”

A thank-you to those attending the banquet/ auction was given by club member Virginia Cummins with the encouragement of Vicki Bell, executive director of the club.

Barker also told of his encounters with former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and of the time when Adam Ballinger went to Michigan State to play basketball. As the evening was a fund raiser, he reminded everyone that they were “to serve those that need the most,” and that included youngsters at the Boys and Girls Club.

Offering the “welcome” to the 7th annual “Making a Difference” banquet and auction Monday evening was club member Robbie Yergler. Dan Pfister served as the evening’s emcee.

The active auction was conducted by the Steffen group with the goal to be raised for the evening of $100,000.

Club Information

The evening’s printed program listed the club needs for five programs sponsored by the club and the costs. They included: Homework tutoring, $9,000; STEM Club, $8,500; Culinary Arts, $6,300; Smart Girls, $4,800; Passport to Manhood, $4,800 and Furnace/AC Unit, $38,000 (a needed replacement).

Currently the board members include Lipp, chair; Pete Humphrey, vice chair; Doug Lehman, treasurer; Pfister, president emeritus and members Ken Ballinger, Todd Reimschisel, Rachel Reinhard, Rick Singer, Sara Jones, Jim Westbrook, Danielle Thompson, Nick Huffman and Cyndee Fiechter.

The staff includes: Vicki Ball, executive director; Gene Ball, office of resource development; Veronica Garza, program director; Sue Campbell, director of finance; Renee Brown, kitchen chef; Margo Haiflich, operations assistant; Ryan Ferguson, youth development professional; Abigail Nusbaumer, Americorps; David Acuna, STEM coordinator; Simon Jones, academic coordinator; Orion Pearcy, Americorps; and Alicia Filchak, teen coordinator. 

barb@news-banner.com

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