ELLENBORO, W.Va. — For sixteen years, David Meeks and Sandy Reed have had a simple philosophy when it comes to raising money for the American Cancer Society.
“Even if one dollar goes towards helping someone survive or helping someone get over cancer–whether it’s by a wig or transportation or a cure some day–when you walk away you feel like you were able to help,” Meeks said.
Meeks and Reed coordinate, captain, and drive the fundraising efforts for a the Cardinal-Simon Relay for Life Team in Ritchie County. They’ve raised around $500,000 by auctioning off windows and doors at a manufacturing plant in Ritchie County since 2001. The windows and doors are brand new, but they are donated by PlyGem Windows and their local affiliate Simonton Windows Manufacturing Facility in partnership with Cardinal Logistics. They are discounted for auction to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
“When this first started, there were only six or seven of us that started it,” Meeks said. “We didn’t know how it was going to work. We had never done an auction before in our life. We just decided to do it, and Simonton gave us the windows. We made that first year $13,000 off of two trailer loads of windows.”
It’s up to the customer to find what they are looking for (though volunteers are there to assist); Meeks and Reed can never be certain of their inventory until they begin unloading the truck at 6 a.m. one Saturday per year to set up the show. But, Meeks said, it offers people a chance to get a product they want and put their money to a good cause.
“Every year the good Lord seems to take care of us, and every year I get in my car exhausted and wore out and thanking the good Lord that it was another successful year and somebody else is going to benefit from it,” he said.
Everything is donated, and that includes the help of auctioneers, volunteers to assist with the labor, and the products.
“We have repeat customers,” Meeks said. “We have people that come back, and some of those folks give a little extra. We’ve been handed donations. They say, ‘Here we want to give this to the American Cancer Society.’ We’ve had folks come and not find what they want and give a donation to the American Cancer Society.”
Often those customers aren’t just West Virginians. Volunteers and customers alike come from as far as Georgia, Virginia, and Kentucky.
It can be a stressful day though, according to Sandy Reed. The volunteers are often just as invested in the outcome after a day of grueling labor as she and Meeks are when the final numbers are tallied.
“I’m always anxious to see what the total is,” she said. “All of our volunteers are really waiting at the end. Most of them wait around til we get everything counted up so they’ll know what we made before they go home.”
And what they make goes entirely to the Relay for Life program, a program which is estimated to have raised more than $5 billion nationally for the American Cancer Society since it’s inception.
“When you’re sitting beside a bed of somebody with cancer, please know that there are people out there that care and are doing everything in their power to one day rid us of this awful cancer,” Meeks said.
The 2017 Window Auction for a Cure is fast approaching. At 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, the auction will open at Simonton Windows Manufacturing Facility on Rt. 50 in Ellenboro. The entire process takes place in the adjacent parking lot.
The team raised nearly $40,000 in 2016, which is their benchmark goal for 2017. Their record is $76,000.
Food, refreshments, and restrooms will be available. The event will be held regardless of weather, and tents will be set up if rain does become a factor.
Only cash or checks are accepted.