We Care's 50th annual telethon has started

Dec. 3—A commemorative Larry Bird Wheaties box was propped facing an Epiphone Les Paul guitar. Elsewhere, a taxidermied racoon posed with a box of Cracker Jacks. Naturally, there was Hope Doll memorabilia everywhere.

With 20 minutes left until 6 p.m., the We Care building was full of volunteers who were preparing for the 48-hour telethon. A handful were already standing by at their stations, while others enjoyed their last few moments of peace with a slice of Martino's pizza or pork from Hawg Heaven.

The actual Hope Doll had already been returned to the building. It was standing at the ready, a camera trained on its teary-eyed face, as volunteers wondered which family or business would hold on to the doll this year.

As the clock struck 6, a hush fell upon the building. Prerecorded videos from Governor Eric Holcomb and Mayor Tyler Moore ushered in the telethon.

Chris Ramberger, who has volunteered at We Care for decades, said he tries not to watch the opening scenes. They make him tear up. The final tally of funds raised brings a tear to his eyes as well.

Instead of watching one of the TVs stationed around the building, he decided to take a tour, checking in with each station.

Going into We Care's second year in its new building, which is at 1700 E. Sycamore St., he was curious how smoothly the telethon would run. After last year's telethon, he added, volunteers were asked how each of their stations could have run more smoothly.

"You're exhausted by the end of it," Ramberger said. "But it's worth it."

His brother and wife were nearby, volunteering with different stations during the first night of the telethon.

To Ramberger, the telethon always feels like a family reunion. Although he lives and works in Howard County, the volunteer said, he looks forward to seeing all of his fellow longtime volunteers each year.

"Once you're hooked, you're hooked," Ramberger said.

Items had been donated and processed throughout the week. By the beginning of the event, roughly 2,000 items had been processed. Another thousand, perhaps two, were still waiting to receive a tag marking which auction lot it would go to.

We Care is still accepting items, too.

The first thing auctioned off Friday night was a set of Milwaukee tool parts, a blue hoodie and a $50 gift card. It sold for $80.

After the first lot of items had been auctioned off, volunteers sprang to action, storing the sold items and replacing them with new ones.

There were three special items We Care's president, Becky Varnell, pointed out: a Cushman Motorcycle, a golf cart, and a vintage Bennett gas pump. Each of the large items had been painted red and were donated to celebrate We Care's 50th anniversary.

The president said she never sets a goal or tries to predict how much money the telethon will raise.

"That's what keeps it truly from the heart," Varnell said. "If you set a goal, you're pushing. This is just open. Whatever you want to give is what we receive. What we get is what we give to the community."

That being said, she does keep track of how much the organization has raised over time — somewhere in the ballpark of $17 million.

"The community has always supported us," Varnell said. She added that the telethon's 50th anniversary was certainly no exception.

Other than donations, Varnell said somewhere around 600-700 volunteers would help keep the telethon going. In the past, she added, some have slept at the telethon headquarters.

Throughout her 47 years with We Care, she has taken a handful of naps under a desk.

There are 12 phone operators at any given moment during the telethon. They work in 6-hour shifts.

Varnell said the bidding slows down during the middle of the night.

The auction will be simulcast on 100.5 WWKI-FM, KGOV 2 on Xfinity and online at www.wecareonline.org. Call 765-865-8118 to place a bid.

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.