Webster County’s newest charitable club hosted its first fundraiser Saturday, Sept. 23 at Spring Valley Venue in Strafford. Guns 'n Hoses offered guests food, networking and live music as auctions raise funds for a worthy non-profit. The Webster County 100 Club is a 501(c)(3) organization and a registered Non-Profit Corporation in the State of Missouri which was created to financially support the surviving spouse and/or dependent children of the brave men and women from both county and local law enforcement agencies and fire departments who have died from injuries suffered in the line of duty within Webster County.
“What a great evening. The inaugural Guns ’n Hoses event was an amazing success thanks to so many people, We sold $10,000 in tables and raised $6,043 from the live and silent auctions and other sales,” said President Keith Householder. “People are coming on board quickly and that’s what we wanted and need for this first year. We’ve had more donations to the website since Sunday and we want to thank everyone for their continued support.”
Sheila’s Place catered the Tex-Mex style dinner with a fajita and quesadilla bar, Mexican shrimp cocktail, Mexican corn on the cob and more. A live and silent auction took place throughout dinner and country music artist Church Briseno played a live set to end the evening.
The board of the Webster County 100 Club is composed of Keith Housholder as president, Teresa Housholder as Vice President and Christopher Housholder as secretary/treasurer. They added two board members at Saturday night’s event. The new board members are Ronald Boyce and Tina Nesbit, who will help with fundraising and other events in the future.
There are currently five (5) 100 Clubs in Missouri: Greene County, Stone County, Christian County, Taney County and now Webster County. Webster County has six law enforcement agencies and nine fire departments/fire protection districts who serve and protect approximately 40,000 citizens in the county. The county covers 539.32 square miles and is bordered by Dallas, Christian, Douglas, Greene, Laclede and Wright counties, including the cities of Elkland, Fordland, Marshfield, Rogersville, Seymour, Niangua and the Village of Diggins. Surrounding 100 Clubs are cooperating to ensure that first responders are covered by a 100 Club in their county until the organization is further financially established.
“The Webster County 100 Club is a great organization run by great people. It is designed to help the families of our men and women in Law Enforcement and the First Responder Family who are killed while serving their community,” said Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole. “I stand with the with the program and wholeheartedly ask for your help. As a community, we must proactively be prepared for the worst for when tragedy inevitably strikes those who sacrifice the most for our citizens.”
According to Housholder, the club’s main mission is to financially support the surviving spouse and/or dependent children of local law enforcement agencies and fire departments who have died from injuries suffered in the line of duty within Webster County. The bylaws also include a provision for a limited distribution of funds for life saving equipment, training and resource materials, if there is a surplus of funds during a given fiscal year.
The 100 Club serves a number of law enforcement agencies and fire departments, including the Fordland Police Department, Marshfield Police Department, Rogersville Police Department, Seymour Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri Highway Patrol Troop D Headquarters, Missouri Department of Conservation Southwest Regional Office, Conway Fire Department, Elkland Fire Protection District, Fair Grove Fire Protection District, Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District, Marshfield Fire Department, Niangua Fire Department, Seymour Fire Department, Southern Webster County Fire Protection District and the Strafford Fire Protection District.
"I'm happy to see our community come together to support the families of emergency services personnel that give the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty," said Marshfield Fire Chief Michael Taylor. "I support the formation of the Webster County 100 Club and commend the persons involved with putting it all together."
All funds for this nonprofit come from community donations. With each donation of $100, or more, supporters receive a sticker to proudly display on their vehicle window. While displaying the sticker is not required, it promotes and encourages further donations to a local 100 Club. It also provides a visible statement of support to law enforcement and fire personnel whether they see you driving down a street, or when your vehicle is parked in a driveway, street or parking lot.
Donations can be made directly to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) through the Webster County 100 Club’s website, webstercounty100club.com. To donate any amount to support the purpose of the Webster County 100 Club, visit the website and use the “Donate Now” button.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here