Queen for a day
Junior Auxiliary of Searcy to honor longtime member
Kelly VanHook has been involved with the Junior Auxiliary of Searcy for so long, even she has a tough time pinning down when she first joined the group, though she said it’s been more than 20 years. In that time, one of her favorite activities has been to work on the annual charity ball, which the group uses to raise money to fund its programs for the year.
In fact, she’s enjoyed it so much, she has continued to volunteer long after many of her peers in the group have stepped back.
“We’re called Life Members, us old people,” she said, joking. “I’ve tried to stay involved every year. I’ve known all the ladies who have served, the charity ball queens over the years. I just feel like I’ve got to give back. It’s as simple as that.”
This year’s event, dubbed A Night Under the Stars, will undoubtedly stand out from the rest, as VanHook herself is being honored as the charity ball queen. The black-tie gala is slated for Oct. 2 at the Searcy Country Club. Proceeds will go to the club’s many charitable works on behalf of children and families throughout White County, which is what attracted VanHook to the group in the first place.
“I’m involved in a lot of committees and things, but nothing, nothing is more important than the kids,” she said. “There’s a lot of the kids that we serve who are not getting served other places.”
A full-time Realtor and artist, VanHook said the importance of attending and supporting the event has never been greater, especially in the era of the pandemic.
“The charity ball is a biggie,” she said. “We’re a small town, and everybody’s hurting after COVID. I told the auction chair that I wanted to help. I have different connections to our community, being a business owner and since my husband and I are both artists. So,
I’m like, let me pull in some art; let me help with some things y’all don’t have so I feel like I’m doing something.”
Whitney Blackwood, Junior Auxiliary president, said VanHook’s attitude reflects the ethos of the group, an all-women organization that can trace its legacy of good works in the community back for decades. That made her a natural to be named this year’s honoree.
“We try to honor someone who is a past member, someone who is still active and someone who still gives of their time and tries to help us as a chapter,” Blackwood said. “Kelly helps us even if it’s just making a phone call to someone, trying to secure a location for something — she gives financially. She’s just really a sweet person, a good person.”
Among the group’s service projects are providing food baskets for needy families and an angel tree through JA’s Christmas for Kids holiday program to help provide presents to underprivileged children. That effort, coordinated through local service agencies, has grown into a massive operation every year.
In addition, the Junior Auxiliary founded and funds the Sunshine School, which serves area children, youth and adults.
“The Sunshine School is our baby,” Blackwood said. “That is a school here in Searcy that serves special-needs children and adults. We actually founded the school, and club members worked and volunteered there until it got so big that we had to have employees. They service around 60 to 70 students through the school year.
“People can also get their therapy there, and we do several projects for the students throughout the year. We do monthly birthday parties for them. The students receive a card and a dollar bill, and we do cake and ice cream with them. And we do several other different things like that periodically through the year.”
The gala supports these and other activities while providing a fun and fashionable evening out, Blackwood said. The event traditionally occurs in March but was moved this year as a result of COVID-19, and she said organizers are expecting a large turnout.
“We have live and silent auctions,” she said. “They both go off of donations that we receive from the community, and we have lots of different things, anything you could possibly want. We have a live DJ, and we also have casino tables that we bring in. People really enjoy it, and we get a portion of the profit from that. It is a very fun event. Everyone dresses up, and we just all have a really good time.”
Despite the group’s long-standing history, membership numbers have waned in recent years. Blackwood hopes that through events like the gala and other community work, people aren’t just moved to donate, but that more women will volunteer their time to improve the quality of life in Searcy and throughout White County.
“Our Angel Tree alone helps close to a thousand children,” she said. “For our Community of Caring project, we usually do sack lunches for that. We partner with Unity Health and several other organizations in Searcy to deliver the lunches to anyone who comes through who needs services.”
“[Our members] all work. We’re all pretty much moms. We are always looking for those who are volunteer-minded who want to help the community. We specifically want to help the children of White County, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
For more information on the event, or to learn about becoming a member of the group, visit the Junior Auxiliary of Searcy’s Facebook page.