BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Everybody loves Raymond, especially when he wins $2,500.
It wasn’t a plotline in the famous sitcom starring Ray Romano but a real-life event that saw Raymond Rhoden walk away with the grand prize at the Altrusa International of Starke Gala, which was held Oct. 26, at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center in Starke.
The annual event consists of a reverse drawing that culminates in the last person remaining winning the big-money prize.
This year’s drawing consisted of 157 people, with 63 receiving a prize of some sort.
After 149 names had been drawn by Starke Altrusa President Sarah Long and announced by emcee Terry Vaughan, three names in a row were announced as non-prize winners.
“The next three people are the most-unlucky people on earth because you’re the only ones still left in the game who will not win something very nice,” Vaughan said.
One of those unlucky three was Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith, which prompted Vaughan to remark, “An arresting development here.”
Then, it was down to five final people — all of whom would win prizes. Kensley Hamilton won a Kendra Scott jewelry set donated by Williams Jewelry, Ellen Reddish won a YKO cooler donated by Montford Paint and Body and Lucy Montford won an iPad, which was donated by Tatum Brothers Lumber.
Two people remained. It was announced that Arthur Gaskins won the second-place prize, which was a $500 Hilton Hotels gift card donated by Community State Bank.
Gaskins may not have won the grand prize, but still, a nice gift on what happened to be his birthday. At the beginning of the gala, Vaughan announced, “Everybody here except one person knows this really is not the Altrusa Gala. We all know it’s really Arthur Gaskins’
surprise birthday party. Happy birthday, my friend.”
Vaughan, as usual, had plenty of cracks and groan-inducing jokes.
“I don’t know if you can tell, but I’ve started a new diet,” Vaughan said. “All I eat are yeast and shoe polish. I haven’t lost any weight, but every morning I rise and shine.”
Vaughan said he found a job after his retirement as Bradford County’s supervisor of elections.
“I am the senior director at Old McDonald’s farm,” he said. “He made me the C-I-E-I-O.”
When Amanda Seyfang, the current supervisor of elections, won a Dublin crystal vase donated by Julee Tinsler, Vaughan referenced the 2000 election, saying, “Big enough to put your collection of hanging chad in.”
Also, in keeping with tradition, Vaughan made cracks about his wife, Jennifer.
“By the way, the other day, Jennifer asked me to pas her the ChapStick,” Vaughan said. “I accidentally passed her the glue stick instead. She hasn’t spoken to me since.”
Jennifer’s small stature was a source of material, too.
“This might be the last time, frankly, that you see Jennifer and me together after 38-plus years of marriage,” Vaughan said. “Recently, I discovered she purchased something I think is intended to replace services that I provide. You guessed it. She got a stepladder. Now that she can reach the top shelf of the cabinets in the kitchen, I think I’m no longer needed in the house.”
After one of his jokes, Vaughan told the crowd that Jennifer wrote all of his material.
“What have I got to lose? She’s got a stepladder now,” Vaughan said.
The smaller prizes were delivered to the winners at their tables by some of the Altrusa members, who were referred to as the gala’s Vannas — a reference to Vanna White of “Wheel of Fortune” fame. One Vanna was Brenda Thornton, who happened to have her name drawn as the winner of Vogue sunglasses that were donated by Bradford County Eye Center.
“Raise your hand, Brenda,” Vaughan said. “You won. OK. Now deliver it to yourself.”
Tiffany Rees, another of the Vannas, won Gucci Flora perfume donated by Teal Tile and Carpet.
“You’re going to smell so much better next year at this same time,” Vaughan said. “No, you smell good all the time. You really do. I don’t know if I can even say that.”
Speaking of Teal Tile and Carpet, Vaughan had fun with some of the prizes won by the members of the Teal family: a Shark robot vacuum donated by Altrusa President Long and a cordless vacuum donated by Roberts Insurance.
“This carpet-cleaning stuff — I see a trend here,” Vaughan said. “Do we by any chance have a shampoo machine later tonight? I hope so.”
When a handbag donated by Beverly Hardy was won by her husband, Dudley, Vaughan asked Hardy, “You’re donating this again next year, right?”
After Jimmy Crosby won a gift certificate donated by Town and Country Veterinary Clinic, Vaughan said, “We can finally get him spayed and neutered. I guess just one. Maybe not both.”
Vaughan’s fellow FSU fan Brad Smith won a Princess House crystal bowl donated by WEAG.
“We all know that us Seminoles are going to have the best bowl of all this year,” Vaughan said. “You can tell I’m no longer an elected official in Bradford County.”
Noele Miller was announced as a winner while she was in the restroom. A little while later, her husband, Kevin, was announced as a winner while he was in the restroom.
“At this rate, everybody should go to the bathroom,” Vaughan said.
At one point, Vaughan announced the name of Norman Ray, which someone told him was actually Ray Norman. Later, when it was time to announce the winner of a deer blind, Vaughan said, “Teal Tile and Carpet has donated a blind deer. I hope that Norman Ray wins this.”
Cindy Futch won the deer blind, which led Vaughan to tell her husband, “Steve, a word of advice — after she puts up the deer blind, don’t wear a shirt with a target on it.”
When it comes to a fundraising target, the gala is a bullseye as the Altrusa Club’s major fundraiser every year. The event helps support the club’s scholarships as well as various projects, such as providing Easter baskets for children in the Guardian ad Litem program, Christmas gifts for Rainbow Center children and books for Bradford County students as part of the Books in the Classroom Literacy Project. The club also makes donations, including to the Bradford Food Pantry and the Bradford County Public Library’s summer and Christmas programs.
Long expressed her thanks to fellow club members prior to the night’s meal for working “tirelessly to make this gala possible.”
“Their dedication and passion for community service have made tonight’s event a reality. We extend our heartfelt thanks to every one of them,” said Long, who then asked all club members to stand and be recognized.
Long also thanked those in attendance who aren’t in the club, saying their presence was “a testament to your dedication to community service as well.”
“Your participation tonight has the power to impact lives and create lasting change,” Long said. “For that, I thank you.”
To learn more about what Altrusa is doing in the community, please visits its Facebook page (Altrusa Club of Starke).
