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By Michelle Vineyard
The Kerens Friends of Youth hosted a dinner and auction at the Kerens School Cafeteria on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 5 pm. The Friends of Youth began around 40 years ago with the mission to support the children of Kerens that wanted to participate in shows and competitions. Through the years, the group has donated funds to over 150 Kerens-area youth, and has been able to help offset costs and losses for kids that may not make the big sale, and help support the children that make the expo to bring in decent amounts.
The annual event benefits the students in the Kerens FFA, FCCLA, and 4-H clubs during their participation in the Navarro County Youth Expo. The delicious fajita dinner was catered by Todd Teetz, with plenty of scrumptious desserts to spare. The silent auction and live auction featured unique home décor, arts/crafts, outdoor gear & accessories, and delicious baked goods galore.
There was a beautiful handmade quilt raffled off that was made by Shelley Kilcrease, and quilted by Freida Kamp. LL Showpigs raffled off a farm credit to help a student pick out a pig for show next year. A personal favorite item, was 6 hours of manual labor donated by the industrious and enterprising Kerens student, Briar Greene, which sold for a well-deserved $650.
The live auction was the biggest hit of the night, hosted by the lively auctioneer/comedian Mr. Cyler Davidson, who kept the audience laughing in their seats and stoked the flames of friendly competition between the bidders. The attendees were generous with their donations and bids, and it was truly inspiring to experience seeing community members so dedicated to their cause. I made a valiant attempt to keep up with the total amount that was raised this evening, but I must confess, I was too entertained and lost count after a few thousand dollars.
The real winners for the evening are the talented and hard-working children of Kerens ISD that will benefit greatly from the generosity and support of the patrons. Personally speaking, as a mother of children in the school, it really means so much to them to be able to do what they love and see how their hard work pays off.
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