Rainbow of Hope remains committed to helping children, families
The rainbow in Amish Country is one of hope, help and compassion. The annual Rainbow of Hope Benefit Auction will take place in the Mt. Hope Event Center July 25-26.
For centuries people have been looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It turns out the gold comes from the heart, at least where Rainbow of Hope is concerned.
This year’s Rainbow of Hope Benefit Auction will take place at the Mt. Hope Event Center July 25-26, where a massive auction, plenty of food and more will greet the patrons who faithfully show up to support the RoH Foundation.
Rainbow of Hope is a ministry devoted to aiding families with ailing children who are facing battles with all types of medical issues. Over the years the organization has helped many children move beyond their pain and struggles, and it all comes from the generosity of a community of believers who have dedicated themselves to reaching out to those children and their families.
The Rainbow of Hope story began in 1985 when Henry Hershberger’s daughter was born prematurely with cerebral palsy. She spent two months at Akron Children’s Hospital, and during that time, the seeds were planted for RoH when the Hershbergers received an incredible bounty of giving.
Hershberger had seen the effect the giving of many to his family and his child had and wanted others to experience that same joy of thanksgiving in seeing others help, and Rainbow of Hope was born not long after.
“Over 39 years Rainbow of Hope has met a lot of needs out there,” said Eddie Schlabach, board member president. “This is such an important event for so many families. We’ve probably benefited thousands of people through this ministry. It has happened only because of the generosity and compassion of a lot of people who have given so selflessly over the decades. Henry had the vision and faith to create something special.”
The concept quickly caught on, and the auction grew in stature from the first year’s $20,000 raised to recent years when it has raised around a quarter-million dollars in revenue to aid children and their families.
Hershberger said in the early years of RoH, he and a couple of others would canvas the area seeking donations for the auction. Today, a large team goes to work in creating an auction lineup that comes from the heart of giving as many local businesses and individuals come through with auction donations.
This year’s auction day kickoff is Sept. 26 and will begin with a full-course breakfast starting at 6 a.m.
The auction will start at 8:30 a.m., with the furniture and quilt auction beginning promptly at 9 a.m.
Featured in this year’s auction will be plenty of items including a bedroom suite, all kinds of quality indoor and outdoor furniture, 70 large quilts along with wall hangers, crib quilts, and Afghans. In the secondary auction, there will be items like crafts, garden tools and more.
At 10 a.m. the livestock auction will start, with dairy heifers, sheep and more parading across the stage.
For those seeking something rare, the auction highlight portion of the event will start at noon and will feature a Studebaker Jr. wagon, Rainbow of Hope commemorative items and other specialty items.
At 1 p.m. the buggies and horses will hit the auction block while the lawn furniture will roll along in the secondary auction at the same time, featuring porch swings, gliders, storage barns, a gazebo and more.
While the auction is key, there’s plenty of other action that keeps the weekend lively.
On Friday, July 25, the annual auctioneer’s contest will be at 5 p.m. and will give blossoming, young auctioneers the chance to get up front and auction items. Having a trio of professionals judging them as they do their best to auction off items in front of a huge crowd can be intimidating, but it’s always enjoyable.
Friday at 4 p.m. also will see the annual fish fry, barbecued chicken, plenty of other food and a bake sale come into play, along with the huge volleyball tournament.
Friday evening also includes this year’s speaker Chris Lubbe, whose faith and commitment to peaceful resistance has led to an inspiring lifetime abundance of joy through tragedy.
Lubbe’s story serves as a resounding mission to join the cause in fighting injustices and peacefully bringing unity and love to the forefront at every turn.
Through great suffering Lubbe has built the armor of God around himself. Despite having seen people thrown from trains for sitting in the “wrong” section, people being beaten and tortured, and even experiencing near-death situations in his one life, Lubbe has chosen the path of forgiveness and love, trusting God will protect him and speak through his actions as he exhibits the life of nonresistance.
It all adds up to a two-day event that blesses both the families who receive and those who give to the cause.
As Hershberger once said, “This effort isn’t just one or two people; it’s a community that has come together to support these children and their families. We have seen God’s hand and people’s hearts at work together to create something special that has touched the lives of many hurting families. It’s a special feeling to be part of investing in other people’s lives and to see God’s hand at work.”