Jeep raffle drives $100,000 to local charities

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Kyle Simmons hands the keys to the Jeep to Justine Casey, of Shreve. Casey won the Jeep in a raffle to honor Eldon Gerber and to benefit local charities close to Gerber’s heart.

 

DGKN staff report

KIDRON A Shreve woman drove away the lucky winner of a Jeep and countless others also benefitted from a charity raffle in honor of former Gerber Lumber & Hardware co-owner Eldon Gerber.

Gerber Lumber & Hardware raffled off a Jeep or $40,000 cash this past summer as a tribute to Gerber, who passed away last year and held several local charities close to his heart. Gerber had been planning to purchase a Jeep to enjoy during his retirement.

“Gerber Lumber believed someone should still get to enjoy the Jeep, and that they should support something Eldon would be proud of, to honor his legacy,” a news release states.

“Because of this belief, Gerber Lumber decided to partner with CAMO to raffle off the Jeep and deliver 100 percent of the proceeds to Eldon’s favorite charities.”

Gerber Lumber announced the winner on Aug. 5 of the Jeep or $40,000 cash prize raffle that had been hosted by the Central American Medical Outreach organization. All the proceeds from the raffle were donated to charities local to Kidron, including the Kidron Community Fund, Kidron Community Park, the Kidron Volunteer Fire Department, the Boy Scouts of America, and CAMO.

Justine Casey, of Shreve, was named the winner of the Jeep. Many more winners came out of the event. The generous community raised more than $100,000 for local charities.

“Gerber Lumber would like to thank everyone who participated to make this event possible, your generosity will impact hundreds both within our community and around the world,” the news release states.