TESTIMONIES
By MARY Fish
BENSON , Arizona –
where is that ? It ’ s a tiny town in southeastern Arizona , where CMA Chapter Solid Rock Riders , a two-year-old chapter with 12 members is located . We worked on ideas for a Run for the Son ( RFS ) fundraiser that would appeal to the community , bring in donations for RFS , and hit on the idea of a dinner / dessert auction . We featured spaghetti , salad , and breadsticks , as that is the most cost-effective meal to serve , along with a Keto option , with zoodles instead of pasta .
The first event we did was in 2021 , and we were amazed at the response . It so happened that the best date for the event this year fell on Valentine ’ s weekend , so we decided to ramp up a bit and make it more of a date-night feel for Valentine ’ s . The theme was Delivering God ’ s Love Letters to the World , with mailboxes featuring Hope for the Highway Bibles and envelopes inscribed with love scriptures as the centerpieces .
We tapped into friends who love to bake and asked for donations from local restaurants and bakeries . The response was excellent with 42 desserts to auction ! In addition , we are fortunate to partner with a very CMA-supportive church at no cost and found a local talent to provide music at no charge . It is a blessing that our State Coordinator lives in the area , and he agreed to be our auctioneer / entertainer . We were also honored to have Mark and Tammy Heid , our Regional Evangelist , attend the function . In addition , we presented a new CMA member with his colors .
We created flyers and sold tickets for $ 5 each for dinner , and this year , we offered individual desserts for $ 5 , which proved quite profitable . One hundred ten tickets were sold , and with a few walk-ins , so it was almost a sell-out . We played the CMA Riding for the Son video before dinner was served to let non-CMA people learn about CMA . Chapter members served the plated meals and cleared tables . We wanted to ensure everyone knew exactly why this particular event was happening , especially since over 80 % of the ticket sales were to non-CMA community members .
We showed the four-minute RFS video to kick off the auction . It ’ s an excellent video that briefly explains why Run for the Son exists and reiterates that 100 % of the donations go towards evangelism rather than CMA itself . Within an hour , the auction began , and things really got going . People loved the bidding process and got into the competition ; many desserts were purchased and donated back . All totaled , we brought in about $ 4,000 for RFS . Yes , it ’ s a lot of work , but it ’ s a lot of fun , and we were all blessed to participate . CMA
Mary is a member of Solid Rock Riders chapter # 1389 in Benson , Arizona .
23⎪JUNE 2022⎪www . cmausa . org