BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the Altrusa of Starke Gala returned, with Community State Bank President/CEO and Director David Bridgeman taking home the $2,500 cash grand prize on Oct. 27 at Starke’s Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center.
The gala is the major fundraiser for the Starke club. This year, 158 tickets were sold for $125 each. A ticket, as usual, put you in the event’s reverse drawing, which began after attendees enjoyed a meal catered by Blue Water Bay.
Of the 158 people in the drawing, 64 received prizes. The final five people remaining all received prizes, starting with Ricky Thompson, who won a Yukon Outfitter cooler, donated by Montford Paint and Body/Lucy Montford.
Once Thompson received his prize, the last four in the drawing were asked to stand at the front of the room. They were Bridgeman, Sean Brewer (who was represented by Bradford Sheriff Gordon Smith), Bob Milner and Carolyn Reddish. Milner’s name was called as the winner of a 40-inch smart TV, donated by Tatum Brothers/Linda and Sylvia Tatum. The next prize, a $500 Hilton Head gift card, donated by Community State Bank/Carolyn Reddish and Betty Trawick, was won by Brewer.
Two were left standing. The next name called would win a bracelet donated by Williams Jewelry. Emcee Terry Vaughan said, “Somebody from Community State Bank is going to win this. I just feel it in my bones.”
Reddish is the executive vice president and chief operations officer at the bank. Her name was called, which meant her colleague Bridgeman won the grand prize.
Waiting for your name to be called during a gala drawing was certainly something people had missed the last two years. Vaughan’s jokes? Maybe not so much.
Vaughan, Bradford County’s retired supervisor of elections who now lives in Thomasville, Georgia, had been known for his attempt at humor as the event’s usual emcee. He said it was nice to be back in Bradford, but also joked he didn’t have a choice when it came to fulfilling his gala duties once again.
“This Altrusa president I’ve heard so many great things about told me I had to come,” Vaughan said.
The president is current Supervisor of Elections Amanda Seyfang, who worked with Vaughan for 19 years.
“I heard she’s doing a phenomenal job as Altrusa president,” Vaughan said. “I’m hearing that in her day job, not so much.”
In introducing Vaughan, Seyfang said she always received his list of possible jokes before the event so she could “filter out the terrible ones.” Of course, that was when they spent their days together in the same office.
“Now that we don’t work together anymore, I apologize in advance,” Seyfang said.
Vaughan relishes in making the crowd groan as he’s always upfront about the fact he’s going to tell terrible jokes and that they’re not going to improve over the course of the evening.
Before getting into the drawing, Vaughan said he and his wife, Jennifer, stopped at a 7-Eleven in Valdosta on their way to Starke.
“When I walked up to the cashier, she said, ‘Strip down, facing me.’ When I realized she was talking about my debit card, it was too late,” Vaughan said.
Throughout the evening, Vaughan shred gems such as the butcher who accidentally backed up into his meat grinder (he got a little behind in his work), the man who fell into the upholstery machine (he’s now recovered), the dog that can do magic tricks (a Labracadabrador retriever) and how talking to cows causes them to produce more milk (a case of in one ear and out the udder).
Vaughan, of course, had a little fun with some of the people who won or donated prizes. Courtnie Douglas, for example, won the first prize — $100 cash, donated by Win Armstrong and Margaret Anderson. Vaughan said, “I know a good investor, if you need one,” knowing full well that Douglas is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Starke.
One of the prizes was an umbrella stand with umbrellas.
“It’s donated by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, which probably means the umbrella stand in the sheriff’s office is no longer there,” Vaughan cracked.
When the winner’s name was drawn, Vaughan said, “I just have a sneaking feeling you’re going to put it back in the lobby. The winner is Brad Smith.” Smith is the undersheriff.
When Amie Oody won lottery tickets, donated by Candace Osteen, Vaughan told Oody’s husband, Jeff, that he’d never see her again if she won. When it came time to draw for a $50 cash prize, donated by Bradford County Tax Collector Teresa Phillips, Vaughan quipped, “Right out of the top drawer earlier tonight.”
Perhaps no one was unluckier than members of the Teal-Hamilton families. At one point, when the fifth member of the family had been announced as a non-winner, Vaughan suggested the family play the lotto. “There’s got to be better luck around the corner,” he said. “It can’t get worse than this.”
When it came time to announce the winner of a bracelet and earrings, donated by Kim Hamilton, Vaughan said, “Kim, you should really take this home. You guys should not even give this away.”
Vaughan suggested a collection be taken up for the family when Bailee Hamilton was announced as a non-winner. Later, when Kim Hamilton was announced as a non-winner, Vaughan said, “I’m actually staying with the Teals tonight. When I get there, and my bag is on the curb, we will know what happened.”
After 117 names were called, Vaughan looked at the name of the person who was to win $50 in cash, donated by Sylvia Reddish, and said, “Hey. This is unbelievable.” He then looked at Telegraph Owner/Publisher John Miller and said, “John, what’s your deadline for the Telegraph this week? Because the winner is Ken Teal.”
Altrusa of Starke was the night’s big winner, as funds raised will support the club’s scholarships as well as various projects, such as providing Easter baskets for children in the Guardian ad Litem program and Christmas gifts for Rainbow Center children, making donations to the Bradford Food Pantry and the Bradford County Public Library’s summer youth program.
Altrusa of Starke’s 2022-23 board of directors consists of Seyfang, First Vice President Sarah Long, Second Vice President Kim Roberts, Recording Secretary Gale Trotter, Corresponding Secretary Rachel Baier, Treasurer Tiffany Rees, directors Paula Register, Rachel Rhoden and Brenda Thornton, and Past President Hilma Gaskins.
The club’s foundation board consists of President Cheryl Canova, Treasurer Sylvia Tatum, Vice President/Secretary Mary Kramer, Director Sylvia Reddish, Club President Seyfang, Immediate Past President Gaskins and Ex Officio Advisor Martha Epps.
