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BEVERLY -- A basket bingo and auction benefit Sunday at the Beverly Fire Hall will support a local 8-year-old boy who is fighting a "rare inflammatory disease."
The doors to the hall will open at 12 p.m. Sunday, with the bingo event beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door or ahead of time by calling event hosts Jeffery Skidmore at 304-704-3789 or Marlena Broschart at 304-614-5432. Additional ticket packs are also for sale and will be available for purchase the day of the benefit while supplies last.
All proceeds will go towards supporting the medical expenses of Brayton Washington, 8, who has been battling systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, also known as Still's Disease, Skidmore said. The disease not only inflames and affects joints, but also organs, including the liver, lungs and heart, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
In a social media post announcing the benefit, Skidmore praised Brayton for his courage and optimism in the face of his illness
"His journey has been long and difficult, but through it all, he continues to smile and inspire everyone who meets him," Skidmore said in his post.
In 2023, Brayton was the Crown Bearer for the 85th Mountain State Forest Festival.
"Karrah Washington is his mother and Brandon Washington is his father, and they are both friends of mine," Skidmore told The Inter-Mountain. "So me and (Broschart) are putting this benefit on to try and raise a little bit of money because they have a lot of expenses where (Brayton) was in the hospital, and this will help pay for the medication that he needed for this disease that he has."
Around 20 games of bingo are expected to be played on Sunday. All prizes for the bingo games and auctions have been donated by members of the community. Concessions will also be available during the benefit.
A silent auction and a "Chinese" auction will also take place during the benefit. For a "Chinese" auction, bidders buy tickets and put them in containers next to the items they would like to win. The more the bidder wants a prize, the more tickets they can buy and put into the container to increase their chances of being drawn as the winner.
After the bingo games end, Harvey Taylor will host a live auction starting at approximately 5 p.m., Skidmore said. Tickets are not required to participate in the live auction.
"We've got several items that (Taylor) has gathered up. That his friends have gathered up," Skidmore said. "We've just all gathered up stuff that people have donated. There's some really nice things."