August 9, 2019
Crowds pack St. Jude VIP Banquet for a fundraiser that hopes to generate more than $100,000
Space was at a premium Friday night when the Black River Coliseum was filled with one of the largest events in its 20 year history, the St. Jude VIP Banquet. The fourth-year event is part of the annual St. Jude archery fundraiser held in Poplar Bluff, which will conclude with the bow shoot Saturday. Last year, the pair of events raised more than $100,000...
Space was at a premium Friday night when the Black River Coliseum was filled with one of the largest events in its 20 year history, the St. Jude VIP Banquet.
The fourth-year event is part of the annual St. Jude archery fundraiser held in Poplar Bluff, which will conclude with the bow shoot Saturday. Last year, the pair of events raised more than $100,000.
“I’m so ecstatic about the crowd,” St. Jude Heroes Team Captain Miranda Fickert said as she surveyed the arena floor, noting the number of visitors was close to 850. “We’re really thankful and amazed that everyone came out.”
The banquet, Fickert noted, used every table and chair in the Black River Coliseum’s inventory.
Committee member Jennifer Thomas echoed Fickert’s thoughts, saying it was a “great turnout, and I’m so happy the community comes together and helps us out with this every year.”
During an early social hour, the perimeter of the arena floor was lined with tables full of merchandise for both silent and live auctions.
“We have 275 to 300 items on the live auction this year,” Fickert said.
The merchandise, ranging from St. Louis Cardinals tickets to hunting gear, massages, gift baskets, artwork and rifles was donated by local businesses.
Additional items were donated by companies in the outdoor industry, with help from local native and “Headhunters TV” host Randy Birdsong.
“We get a ton of support from all the businesses and we’re appreciative and happy they help us out with this,” said Thomas.
As the evening moved along, Fickert said she was happy with the event.
“Everything has flowed so well, and the double registration lines really helped everyone get through fast,” she said. “It’s just awesome, and the energy is so high.”
The banquet, Thomas said, has been in the works since last year’s event was complete.
“We’ve been working around the clock all year. We usually start in January, but we never really stopped after last year,” she said.
Numerous volunteers, she said, are what makes the event possible.
“We have the best committee, and we put a lot of hard work into it,” she said.
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