Use for $3,800 studied

Money raised during an impromptu auction Friday night will be used to improve the lives of local residents who are going through difficult times, Catherine Johnson said Wednesday.

The executive director of the Hartley House shelter for domestic violence accepted checks totaling $3,800 Wednesday during the monthly board meeting of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce.

“We are grateful at Hartley House for the generous outpouring of the chamber and its members,” Johnson said.

Ernie Kos, executive director of the chamber, said the money was raised when the raffle for a cruise was down to five possible winning tickets, and Joel Butler offered his ticket to be auctioned.

“It was sold for $2,000 to Clovis Insurance, and they turned it back over for rebidding,” Kos said. George and Paula VanderDussen then placed a winning bid of $1,800 — and the ticket won them a cruise to the Mexican Riviera.

“What a wonderful chain of events,” Johnson said.

“And it was nothing we had planned,” Kos said. The auction wasn’t planned, she said, nor the Hartley House beneficiary, nor the determination of the winning ticket.

After the meeting, Johnson said she and her board of directors had not yet decided exactly how the money will be spent.

“We are in the process of analyzing needs, and making sure the needs get met. The money will go to helping our mission, which is helping those in need due to sexual assault or domestic violence.”

Hartley House operates a safe house for victims of these forms of violence, and also provides 24-hour hotlines staffed by advocates who can help.

A hotline specifically for cases of sexual assault is at 1-877-86-SAY-NO, she said, and a hotline for domestic violence or sexual assault is 1-800-401-0305.