The Quad-City Times - News, Sports and more from the Quad Cities region or Iowa and Illinois

You are not logged in.
Login

Log in to qctimes.com
Email:
Password:
Remember my information.
Register
Quadsville
Site Help

Karla’s story: How it raised $31,250

Font Size:

By Bill Wundram | Friday, May 9, 2008 8:43 PM CDT | () comments

WE’LL not get into last names for important reasons. We’ll just call her Karla, which is her actual first name, and she was an abused mom. It may seem out of place to tell about abused moms on Mother’s Day weekend, but there is a happy ending to this story.

At a benefit dinner for Family Resources’ domestic violence shelter, Karla told her story of being repeatedly beaten by her husband. I can’t imagine a guy beating a woman. Such men are sadistic freaks.

Karla fled her abusive home on a winter night with practically no clothes on her back. Davenport police gave her sweatpants and a T-shirt and wrapped a young daughter in a blanket before taking them to the shelter.

Those at the dinner were people in the 35-to-70 crowd. There were moneyed people there, the banking and financial crowd, the political types, but also people of no great wealth. It was a mixed bag.

Beforehand, Rod Ossowski of Family Resources explained to Cal Werner, a Davenport attorney, a unique way to raise funds for the shelter that night. It would be an auction called “New Beginnings.”

‘I told him it would never work,” says Cal. “No one is going to bid at a live auction where there aren’t prizes like a basket of wine.”

He was reluctant, but Cal agreed to be auctioneer. Everyone at the dinner would get a paddle with a number on it as a bidder. Cal opened with a pitch. Good auctioneers do that.

Said Cal to those at the dinner: “You’ve heard Karla’s story. There are so many like her. The domestic violence shelter is their only hope. How many of you will give $2,000 to help all the Karlas out there? You’ll go home feeling that you have done a lot of good for some women and children.

“How many will give $2,000?”

Hands with paddles began to rise. Almost in unison, 10 people held their paddles high. Werner was overwhelmed. In an instant, he had raised $20,000. Werner kept going.

“Who will give $1,500?”

A few more paddles were raised. He was non-stop. “Who will give $250?” Lots of paddles went up. The bidding was a touching, emotional thing.

When it got down to “Who will give $60?” there were no hands raised because Werner says everyone had already given something.

This New Beginnings auction had quickly raised $31,250.

The auction had a special item, a donation from Rhomberg’s, a fancy coat with sequins, to be auctioned to the highest bidder.

The high bid was $400. The two bidders immediately draped the coat on Karla’s shoulders.

She beamed. “I’ll give it to my oldest daughter.”

In a phone visit with Karla, she told me that daughter is now a sophomore, away at college, a 4.0 student. She said her younger daughter still has some anxiety problems, but is getting along well. The lives of Karla and her family turned around, thanks to Family Resources.

“They did everything for me … a new life. Food for me and the girls, clothing, counseling, a temporary place to live. They even gave me an outfit to wear for my first job interview. I have a good job, an events coordinator for a major Quad-City company. I’m buying my own home and have a new car.”

Karla is cheery on this Mother’s Day weekend. After all the downers, the best is yet to come.

Bill Wundram can be contacted at (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.