This fur jacket and football signed by the 2012 Atlanta Falcons will be auctioned during an upcoming event to benefit the Shepherd’s House in Mount Airy.

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In recent years, classic cars — including a restored 1955 Ford Thunderbird in 2012 — have been offered to benefit a local homeless facility, but now the big prize is cold hard cash, $10,000 to be exact.

That sum will be given away during a “Mad Money Drawdown” at Cross Creek Country Club as part of an annual fundraiser for the Shepherd’s House, a 24-hour homeless shelter designed to help clients get back on their feet.

On the night of Feb. 22, plenty of people will be on their feet at Cross Creek hoping to win the $10,000, which can be accomplished by buying drawdown tickets costing $100 each.

In 2012, the fundraising event overall raised more than $50,000 to support the facility that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and has served more than 1,200 people.

Plans have just been announced for this year’s gathering on Feb. 22. In addition to the drawdown for the cash prize, it will include live entertainment by the band Mediocre Bad Guys specializing in acoustic/alternative/folk rock songs, dinner, a live auction, a quilt raffle and a silent auction with $1 tickets.

“This year we decided to have a large cash prize, instead of the classic car, in hopes of interesting everyone in the community,” said the Rev. Phil Goble Jr., executive director of the Shepherd’s House.

“We’ve been offering the car for so long,” Goble added Wednesday, “that I guess the fundraising committee (planning the event) just wanted to switch it up.”

He thinks the sizable monetary sum could be a bigger drawing card for contest purposes than a classic car that might not have as much universal appeal as the cash. “In this economy, everyone could use $10,000.”

Only 800 tickets are available for the drawdown, which will involve numbered tickets being selected from a large container during the course of the evening, and marked off a corresponding grid placed on the wall. Tension builds as the number dwindles to a few leading to the final draw.

The winner does not have to be present to win.

Other Choice Prizes

After the dinner on Feb. 22, a live auction of big-ticket items is planned by an auctioneer from Rogers Realty. Among the choice items is a custom fur coat from a business and a football signed by players for the Atlanta Falcons, who made it to this year’s NFC Championship game.

More than 50 silent-auction items, donated from local vendors, also will be up for grabs. Tickets for the silent auction cost $1 and will be sold throughout the evening.

In addition, a raffle for a quilt handmade by Karen Springthorpe is planned, with tickets costing $5 each.

“I am very excited about the event and appreciate the support we are already getting from the community,” said Farah Davis, who chairs the governing board for the Shepherd’s House, an agency of the Greater Mount Airy Ministry of Hospitality.

“The ticket sales are already doing great and I think this is going to be a wonderful event that no one will want to miss.”

Tickets for the Feb. 22 gathering cost $35 each, covering dinner, entertainment and the live auction. More information and tickets are available from Jenna Jordan at 755-6649, Claudia Bryant at 786-4200, Berta Glenn Springthorpe at 789-5033, Traci Haynes at 755-8832 and Rhonda Crossingham, 687-0944.

They also can be obtained at the Shepherd’s House, located at 227 Rockford St. across from the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

All proceeds will benefit the homeless facility, which as of November had been home to 730 women, 430 children and 113 men in its nine-year history, the bulk of whom have been from Surry County.

In addition to temporary shelter, it offers casework management, counseling, advocacy and referral services to other agencies for assistance.

Finances More Stable

At one point during 2012, the Shepherd’s House was threatened with closure due to funding constraints.

But the United Fund of Surry saved the day with a $20,000 matching campaign that ended up generating more than $50,000, not including the United Fund contribution.

The facility is now on firm footing, Goble said Wednesday.

“We’re in good shape,” he said. “We’re in a whole lot better shape than we were last year — the community has done a tremendous job.”

The shelter official added, “We can use all the donations we can get, just like any non-profit…but it’s not nearly the panic situation that it was.”

Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@heartlandpublications.com.