ROCKINGHAM – In spite of the heat of a late summer afternoon, a large group of supporters gathered on Saturday, August 25, at the Rockingham VFW Post 4203 to compete in a cornhole tournament, as well as purchase fish plates, for a very worthy cause: benefits for the Richmond County Hospice and associated agencies.
Two VFW affiliates, Robin Roberts and Chris Herring, helped to orchestrate this particular afternoon of feasting, fraternization, and general fun.
Roberts and Herring will be participating in “Dancing With the Stars” at Richmond Community College in Hamlet on Saturday, September 8 as a means of contributing towards the ongoing fundraiser efforts for Hospice, but wanted to do more than just that.
Roberts, who serves as Post 4203 Auxiliary president and is well known in the community for helping others, agreed to participate in the “Dancing” fundraiser in honor of her father, Robert “Choo Choo” Gainey. He was very athletic, she shared, but Gainey passed away in 2017 from congestive heart failure. Mr. Gainey received care from Hospice, and Roberts said this was one way of “paying back” for her.
Roberts and Herring have been working on their dance routine with the choreography assistance of Kassie Allen of Dance Sensations and Mary Kate Lambeth. “The theme for the competition this year is Walt Disney, so our music is a mixture from the movie The Lion King –of Hakuna Matata (No Worries) and The Circle of Life.”
In conjunction with the dancing event, a “Taste of the Sandhills” gathering of local restaurants and other providers of food and wine will also be offered to ticketholders.
Sponsored by Mabry’s Drug and Homecare, “Taste of the Sandhills” will benefit Richmond County Hospice, Hospice Haven, and Anson Community Hospice as well.
Doors open for the September 8th gala at 5:30 p.m. for the food sampling with a cash bar available; the dancing competition begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at $50 each or $80 per couple.
But this past Saturday at the VFW was separate and apart from the “Stars” and “Sandhills” extravaganza.
Jerry Lamont set up and organized the cornhole tournament, which included locals Meto Allen, Cotton Saunders, Tyler Boyette, Phillip Kirk, and Harvey Melton. Melton and Boyette won the first match, and Melton teamed up with Phillip Kirk to win the second match. Kirk was also a winner in the 50/50 draw, but donated the $162 back to Roberts for the Hospice fundraiser. More than $1,000 was raised at this event, and all of the proceeds will directly benefit Hospice services.
The meals included spots, baked beans, coleslaw, bread, sweet tea, and water. Donnie and Melanie Butler and Jon Austin caught, cleaned, and donated the fish that were sold for the fundraiser, and Billy Dixon assisted with frying the fish.
All 100 tickets were purchased, with the proceeds going directly to Hospice.
So make sure to mark your calendar—if you haven’t already—to attend “Taste of the Sandhills/Dancing With the Stars” at Cole Auditorium on Saturday, September 8, and support Robin Roberts and Chris Herring as they entertain the crowd and help others in need of Hospice services in our community.
