The Pilot Point community came together on Saturday evening to support the Pilot Point FFA and 4-H programs.
That support added up to the tune of $86,000.
'It feels amazing to know the community came out to support our kids,' said Lacrica Olson, president of the Pilot Point Family and Friends of the FFA and 4-H.
Around 250 community members came out for the event, whether to purchase dinner and head home or to bid on the 78 live auction items and 75 silent auction items.
'Whether it was people coming just for dinner or just bidding on a silent auction [item] or whatever it may be, we were just glad to see so many people come out and support our students,' Olson said.
Volunteers who are part of the Pilot Point Family and Friends of the FFA and 4-H, including parents whose kids have graduated from Pilot Point who have stayed involved, kept the food coming and the drinks flowing.
One such helper, school board trustee Craig Bickers, said he was glad to see such a wide range of the Pilot Point community and beyond turn out for the kids.
'You look at the crowd and know that all this money is going direct to the students in FFA [and 4-H],' he said. 'It's incredible.'
He added that it's great to see new faces.
'And a cross section of the town, too,' Bickers said. '… If you look around, there's people from all walks of life.'
Pilot Point ISD Superintendent Dr. Shannon Fuller echoed that.
'What's so great, is it's such a cross-section,' she said. 'It's an FFA event, but you have coaches, you have teachers, you have people from the city, you have parents. … I think that's such a fantastic sign of community.'
The students, too, put in the work to earn that support.
Several ag mechanics students not only prepared projects to be bid on but also presented them to the crowd.
One such project—the tractor seat picnic table made by Riley Hays, Kason Magourick, Carter Lock and Zach Sanders—went for over $1,000.
'It means a lot,' Lock said of the community support. 'A lot of money spent on projects, and I thought it was really cool that everyone showed up.'
The project helped teach him and his fellow ag mech students about being patient in the face of adversity, and it has netted them several awards.
'We've won eight [buckles with this table] so far,' Lock said on Wednesday morning. 'And then we got a blue ribbon in San Antonio.'
He added that he's 'pretty sure we're going to get a blue ribbon' at the county show on Thursday. That information was not available by press time.
Auctioneer Chad Chance of North Texas Realty and Auction again called the live auction, this time with the help of Mark Harpool, James Pickrel and Jeff Weber.
'People come out to support the kids here in Pilot Point,' Chance said. 'And it seems like this might have been the largest one that I've ever been to and the largest one in history. … The work during the auction is always done before it even starts. I have the easy part.
He complimented organizers Olson and Secretary Stephanie Mohindra for creating an engaging and desirable collection of auction items.
'We do this for the kids,' Mohindra said. 'We do it for the community, to give back, and at the end of the day that's what we're all here for.'
Mohindra said she and Olson worked together to find new donors, including businesses who are outside of Pilot Point with great donation programs.
'We have to be cognizant of all the other [charity events] that are happening,' Mohindra said. 'We had the rig; we do a lot with athletics. So we're asking a lot from all of the donors in this town.'
Another added point of success for the gala was the implementation of table sponsorships, with 18 sold, as well as some monetary donations.
'We were kind of exploring opportunities and looking around at what other, different organizations are doing and decided to pitch the idea of offering that up for businesses to not only be able to come and see what we're doing and the projects we have, but also the ability to put their name on [something],' Olson said.
She wrapped up her summation of the event on a note of gratitude.
'We are so grateful to all of our members; volunteers; donors; buyers; students; Ms. Griener, who is our amazing ag mech teacher; our amazing auctioneer Chad Chance and everybody who played a hand in it,' Olson said. 'It is certainly a team effort.'
