Origin of Henry County Helping Hand
It was the tail end of 1978 when six men met in the basement of the Paris post office. It was the office of one of the six, the late John Caldwell, then county agricultural extension agent. For one, all had been active in the annual March of Dimes Radio Auction which had been initiated years earlier by Paris Lions Club. For another, they all thought it was time
for a change. The others in the group included the man who had called the meeting. Bill McCutcheon, then a radio announcer for station WTPR. He had for several years been the auctioneer, for in those days, the daily sale had only one person at the microphone for the weeks that the auction lasted. Also at the meeting were Bill Davis, auction treasurer; Bill Williams, a substitute auctioneer; William T. Looney, whose advice as an attorney was sought for the meeting, and Bob Jelks, a leader in the Lions Club and in the auction. Their concern was that all of the thousands of dollars raised each year went out of town, and only a portion returned. Although the March of Dimes was a worthy and recognized cause, the group felt that the money could be better used at home by people familiar with local needs. Out of the meeting came the proposal for a unique, all-local organization that would continue and expand on the annual auction but use the proceeds solely to benefit Henry County Charities. The group even proposed a temporary name: Henry County Helping Hand. And it has grown – my how it has grown. The first Helping Hand radio auction, held in 1979, raised $11,519.78. A board of directors chosen from across the county chose 10 organizations to benefit, each receiving $926.20: Henry County Fair Association, an Optimist Club fund for paramedic training, Paris-Henry County Rescue Squad, the Senior Citizens Association, Henry County 4- Clubs, and the volunteer fire departments of Cottage Grove, Henry, Paris Landing, Puryear, and Springville. By comparison, the 25th annual auction sale in 2003 raised $230,270 – just about 20 times the amount of that first year. The Helping Hand board in 2003 presented checks to 55 different organizations, all of which are either based in Henry County or provide direct services to Henry County Citizens. From the very beginning, Helping Hand has followed some principles designed to build public trust and treat all parties fairly. The organization provides no assistance directly to individuals, but gives money only to groups that have the federal government’s official stamp of approval as a non-profit, tax deductible charity under paragraph 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Anyone who participates in the auction, whether as a donor, worker, or buyer, is eligible to vote in the annual election of board members. To assure equal geographic representation on the board, bylaws provide that every section of the county will be represented on the 15 member board. Organizations that want to receive funds from the auction file applications each fall. The board reviews them to determine which groups can be funded, and a final determination of how much each receives is made after the auction is completed. An enduring quality of Helping Hand is the enthusiastic volunteer support of scores of people from all over the county. Rounding up items for sale, cataloging them for sale day, describing sale items over the radio and receiving telephone bids, seeing that buyers get their merchandise – these chores and more are handled by volunteers. That has held the auction’s average administrative costs to about 2.5 percent of total sales over the years. But the chief hallmark of Helping Hand is merriment. Long hours six days a week for almost two solid months would seem to be enough to grind anyone down, but the people handling the quilts and lemon pies seem to thrive on the bustle. Doing so much good must have something to do with it!
