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Building a Brighter Future

Story by Melanie Jones

A cattle show, a brisket cook-off and a build-off—last year competitors raced to create grills— are a few events that draw big crowds and make the annual Help a Child Benefit the largest fundraiser in Wood County.

Proceeds are divided between the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center, Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and scholarships offered by local Masonic lodges. Students also contribute by creating items included in an auction.

It’s an event that makes a real difference. For example, the Scottish Rite Hospital specializes in spine, hip, hand and foot disorders, limb lengthening and sports medicine. It is a cause close to the heart of volunteer Ken Sharp, who is the installation and repair manager at Peoples. His sister was treated at the hospital as a child. “It means a lot to me that we can do this,” Ken says. “Just to make a difference in a kid’s life is so special.”

Wade Bartley, executive director of the Help a Child Benefit, says the children who receive scholarships or services from the hospital and advocacy center aren’t the only young people who get something out of it. The students who take part are making the most of an opportunity to hone their job skills.

Kids are generally excited by the cow show, but the real draw for competitors is the build-off, which attracts students from across Texas. Last year, 36 four-member teams from 28 schools competed, all paying an entry fee. They had to successfully build a grill in a set amount of time.

The benefit also includes chili and brisket cook-offs. The schools donate student-made items to the auction, and organizers sell raffle tickets for a Kubota side-by-side with a trailer. Peoples hosts a golf tournament to contribute to the benefit, and companies are lining up to be sponsors.

Cooks and grillers have a busy day during the Help a Child Benefit, including putting their recipes to the test in a peach cobbler contest.

This year, the build-off will be Oct. 17, with the cook-off following on Oct. 18 at the Hopkins County Civic Center. Even the raffle can benefit young people. Two years ago, a woman bought a single ticket for the side-by-side raffle. Her equine charity depended on one, but hers was broken beyond repair and she couldn’t afford a new one. That one raffle ticket was enough—she won the much needed equipment.

Last year, the Help a Child Benefit generated $151,000 for the three causes. Since its inception, it has donated more than $968,000. “I think this is going to be our million-dollar year,” Wade says.

This will be the event’s 17th year, and the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center, which serves children in eight counties, has been a beneficiary since Day 1. The center provides forensic interviews, trauma counseling and more for abused children and their families.

“It’s because of the community that we are able to offer those services free of charge,” says Andrea Valdez, marketing and volunteer coordinator for the NETCAC. In 2024, Help a Child made the center’s biggest one-time donation with a check for more than $50,000.

The group also divides the money between several Masonic Lodges to fund scholarships for local high school seniors.

The Help a Child Benefit’s predecessor was strictly a fundraiser for the hospital. Wade, an auctioneer, was on the board of directors of the local chapter of the National Auctioneers Association when they decided they wanted to do more for the community.

The silent auction at the Help a Child Benefit features many items made by students at local schools.

So, they started hosting charity auctions at the hospital. At Christmas, the group gave young patients fake money, then “auctioned” toys the children could keep for themselves or exchange as gifts. “We became associated with the hospital through that,” Wade says.

Next, the group of volunteers sold caps as a fundraiser. “We were raising money, but we wanted to do more,” Wade says.

To expand the effort, Wade enlisted the help of his wife, Jan, their son and daughter-in-law, Cade and Ginger Bartley, and their daughter and her husband, Cara and Jerry Duncan. They started with auctions, then got a lot more people involved, Wade says, adding that he had a lot of help from the auctioneers’ association.

Masons also get credit, as most of the people who stage the benefit are members of the fraternal organization. Creating Help a Child wasn’t a one-man show. Staging it each year isn’t, either. It involves many volunteers. “It’s a yearlong preparation,” Ken says.

For more information on this year’s event, follow Help a Child Benefit on Facebook.