Elks Lodge hosts huge Benefit for James Bench

Hundreds flocked to the Cameron Elks Lodge Saturday as part of a day-long event raising funds for expenses related to James Bench’s battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Elks Lodge and the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office teamed for the event with numerous events spanning from morning into the wee hours of Saturday evening in an effort to raise funds for Bench, who served as a deputy for the CCSO and an active member of the lodge before his diagnosis.

“Every member of my family has helped out. I just worked with him and I know Heidi (Bench’s wife) from arts stuff,” said Angie Lager, who credited FCS employee Amber Hulet for her contributions on social media, print media as well as obtaining donations and items for the silent auction. “It was some of us (CCSO) employees that brainstormed this whole thing. We started talking about what we would like to do. They gave me Thursday afternoon off to let me finish up. I had a lot of help.”

Charlie Carroll, the exalted ruler of the Cameron Elks Lodge, said more than 60 area residents came out to volunteer for the event. Lager thanked Patty Bestgen for her efforts in organizing the events as well as the local Berkshire Hathaway branch and the Cameron Citizen Observer for allowing them a storage location for silent auction items. Other corporate contributors include Hy-Klas of Hamilton, HyVee, Steak, and Stuff, Tub Creek Barbecue and others.

“It’s just been a lot of people hitting the pavement. It’s awesome to see the people come out here and support him,” Lager said. “They went above and beyond with donations. Wow, it just blows me away. You watch the news and all you see is the bad stuff. You don’t really hear the good stuff, but people really are good at heart.”

For Carroll, he said the Elks Lodge had difficulty accepting Bench’s diagnosis and sought to do everything they could to assist him in his time of need. Although crediting the efforts of the CCSO for being the primary catalyst behind the event, Carroll said the lodge made contributions anywhere it could to ensure success.

“We had a good turnout and a lot of good silent auction items, raffle stuff and we had some vendors outside,” Carroll said. “It turned out pretty good and hopefully on the 31st we can get back here and do it all again (for a softball/cornhole tournament) … The volunteers came out of the woodwork. It was great and some of them were coming up to me asking ‘what can I do?’ That’s what this is all about.”