Woodruff benefit was big success
More than 600 people showed up the Peabody American Legion hall Saturday afternoon and evening for a benefit fish fry and silent auction for Mike and Katy Woodruff. Organizers of the fish fry began serving at 4 p.m. and were still cooking four hours later. Peabody churches donated all the side dishes and desserts. Church members served one-hour shifts dishing up food to the crowds that filed into the Legion hall in a constant flow until the 8 p.m. ending time.
The catfish was donated by expert fishers, Rod and Donna Hague and Sharon and Dennis Pickens of Peabody and Ron Harth of Winfield. Everything for the dinner was donated, right down to the paper products and the oil for frying the fish. The American Legion donated the use of the building.
In addition, local clubs and individuals provided fresh baked muffins, breads, cakes and rolls for a bake sale and dozens of businesses and individuals from several towns donated merchandise and hand-crafted items for the silent auction.
A guided turkey shoot and a day of fishing on Marion Reservoir were offered by a raffle drawing.
"The event netted just a smidgen under $11,000," said Sharon Pickens, one of the organizers of the benefit. "We expect we might eventually top that amount because there was additional money collected at the Peabody State Bank and at the Peabody Christian Church that we haven't factored in yet."
Mike Woodruff is the son of Frank and Janice Woodruff of Peabody and Katy is the daughter of the Woodruffs' other son, Stuart. Both were diagnosed with leukemia more than a year ago and both have undergone initial chemotherapy treatments. Katy, who is four, is currently going through an exhaustive second round of treatments administered weekly. The treatments will continue for at least a year. Either Stuart or his wife Tracie must take Katy from their home in Westmoreland to Kansas City every week.
Mike is scheduled to undergo either a bone marrow or a stem cell transplant at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in the near future. After the procedure is performed and he is released from the hospital, he will need to check in with his physician there once a day for at least 100 days, perhaps more. Mike will have to stay in a hotel or motel for that time. Although he has medical insurance, it does not cover the cost of the trip to Houston or the cost of his living quarters during his period of observation following surgery. In addition, because of his illness he is no longer employed, but the expense of supporting a family continues.
Katy's father, Stuart, does have a job and the family also has medical insurance. But the trips to Kansas City for Katy's treatments require funds for gas, meals, and lodging for at least one parent. In addition, Stuart and Tracie have other children who need to be cared for if both parents are gone. Stuart works for an electric company like his father and is often called out at odd hours to work on power outages. Sometimes he is gone for days at a time. The family depends a great deal on family and daycare providers for the children still at home.
"The benefit was a real outpouring of love and appreciation for the Woodruff family," said Pickens. "It was easy to organize because so many people wanted to give. Even people in the surrounding communities were generous in their giving. Frank and Janice have done a lot for people in and around Peabody and it seemed like everyone for whom they ever did a favor was on hand Saturday night to give back. It was pretty amazing!"
She added, "We know there are people around the country who will want to contribute because they were in Mike's or Stuart's class; or maybe in Janice's class. The Peabody State Bank and the Peabody Christian Church will always accept donations and the need for Mike and Katy will be with us for some time to come."
