Cub Center Variety Show Sets Fundraising Record
For the second year in a row, the Young County Olney Senior Cub Center proved that a night of hometown entertainment can make a meaningful difference for local seniors.
The Cub Center’s Second Annual Variety Show raised more than $18,000 on July 18 to support its programs, including Meals on Wheels, nutritious weekday lunches, and activities that serve senior citizens in Olney.
Last year’s Variety Show raised about $1,700, organizers said.
Originally scheduled for the Olney Civic Center, the event was moved to Horizon Country Church after the Civic Center’s air-condition- ing system malfunctioned, according to Cub Center Executive Director Angela Lockard. Despite the last-minute venue change, the fundraiser drew a full house and an enthusiastic audience.
The evening featured a lineup of local talent from across Young County, including Chad and Melissa Edgington, Sandy York, Frankie Bailey, Leo and Jessa Branum, Larry and Wade Cribbs, Kenny Fields, the Newcastle and Hamilton Street Church of Christ singers, Judy Underwood, Joseph Cyr, Billie Pickett, Vickie Brown, and cowboy poet Lee Wiley Burch.
Audience members also enjoyed popcorn, drinks, and other refreshments before the show and during intermission, with proceeds from concession sales benefiting the Cub Center’s programs.
Mrs. Lockard said the fundraiser’s success was made possible through the generosity of volunteers, performers, sponsors, and community members who attended the event.
Tower Extrusions served as the title sponsor. Additional sponsors included Stewart’s Food Store, United Supermarkets, First State Bank, Fort Belknap Electric Cooperative, Brazos Communications, Branum PLLC, ACE Hardware of Olney, Southern Bleachers, Hometown Coffee and Tea, Hudson’s On Main, and Bricktown Brewery.
“The community’s support means everything to us,” Mrs. Lockard said in thanking everyone who contributed to the event’s success.
The fundraiser comes at a time when many local seniors are facing increased financial pressures.
The Cub Center provides Meals on Wheels throughout Olney as well as nutritious lunches Monday through Friday. For many homebound seniors, the Meals on Wheels volunteers or Cub Center staff may be the only people they see during the day or even throughout an entire week. In some cases, the meals delivered by the program are also the only nutritious meal they receive that day.
In addition to serving older residents, the Cub Center welcomes the broader community and hosts a variety of social activities and events throughout the week.For more information about the Young County Olney Senior Cub Center and its programs, visit olneyscc.org.