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Help A Child program kicked off the 2024 fundraising season with The Faulk Company President Dawson Oswalt donating $10,000, twice as much as last year, to local Masons and program cooridnators. Pictured are Help A Child Coordinator Wade Bartley, William 'Bill' Holden, Dan Froneberger, Oswalt, (back row) Clay Bartley, Tomy Ander-son and Troy Lopez. Staff photo by Faith Huffman
| Children's Charities
The Help A Child program kick started the fundraising year over the last week with a $10,000 donation from The Faulk Company. The funds will go toward the purchase of the main raffle item. In the past, the Masons who put on the annual event for to raise funds for children's charities were able to buy at a discount tools such as a saw, RTVs and a Kubota side-by-side valued at about $ 18,000, when paired with the custom trailer built by Como-Pickton FFA students.
'We are happy to help support such a good cause,' said Dawson Oswalt, president of The Faulk Company.
The 2024 Help A Child Benefit will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, and will feature the traditional chili and brisket cook-offs. a calf show and Ira Blak Ag Mechanics build off with top projects auctioned in the live auction of donated items. Masonic Lodges from all over East Texas come together to help sell raffle tickets, staff the Help A Child event and compete in the cook-offs.
Last year, Help A Child was able to donate $38,250 each to Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center and Scottish Rite Hospitals, as well as provide some assistance to a few local foster families. This year will be the 17th year Help A Child has been hosted to raise funds for children's charities. The goal each year is to raise as much money as possible to benefit children in need of assistance for medical care, services and investigation when a report of abuse or neglect is made.