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The annual Callaway Community Foundation Fund Gala is a fun event featuring a social hour, supper, silent auction, and live auction designed to raise money for various community projects. The theme of the 2026 Gala, held on Valentine’s Day, was “Heart of the Seven Valleys” as the sold-out crowd of nearly 200 people from Callaway and beyond came together for a great evening of food and entertainment.
The highlight of the event is the live auction, which this year featured 44 outstanding items. The tone for the auction was set early as the first item up for bids was the chance to be the first table to go through the dinner line. The winning table must have been hungry, as they ponied up $300 to eat first!
Along with the live auction, Gala attendees also had an opportunity to bid on 32 various silent auction items. Many of the tables were adorned with floral centerpieces furnished and arranged by the members of the Callaway High School FCCLA chapter. Those 13 arrangements were also auctioned off during the evening, with some selling as low as $50 and as high as $100.
More than $28,000 was raised just from the live auction, not counting the floral centerpieces. Though the final numbers were not yet available at press time, preliminary figures estimate the Gala raised more than $40,000.
Callaway Community Foundation Fund President Corby Leeper opened the evening by sharing some of tthe projects the Foundation has helped fund. Those include computer software for the Callaway Good Life Center, HVAC system and shelving for the Seven Valleys Museum, and a drinking fountain at the Callaway Community Center.
“We are also still raising money for the pool. If you donate a minimum of $500 your name gets on the donor board inside the pool,” Leeper shared.
Along with Leeper, members of the CCFF include Carla Kimball, Lucy Kimball, Jed Hickenbottom, Levi Griffith, Mike Reiff, Madison Dockweiler, and J.D. Furrow.
“Each of these individuals brings passion and commitment to serving the community we all love,” said Leeper. “Our mission is simple, but it’s powerful. We connect people who want to make financial contributions to the community with people who have projects to better the community. At its heart, that mission is about connection. We simply act as a bridge to turn generosity into action and ideas into reality. What inspires me the most is seeing what happens when the right support meets the right idea.”
The CCFF is a 501(c)(3) organization and accepts donations of all kinds anytime, including grain donations and estate planning. Anyone interested in learning more about any of these donation options is asked to contact Leeper or any other Foundation member.
Bubba’s Smoke Shack of Pleasanton provided the meal for the Gala, and Sand Creek Bar hosted a cash bar.
Playing on the Valentine’s Day theme one of the highlights of the evening was a new feature called the “Break My Heart” punch cup game. Attendees bid for an opportunity to punch a cup and reveal the prize inside, which ranged from gift certificates for various local businesses and services to cash.
The Callaway Community Foundation Fund wishes to thank everyone who donated in any way to the Gala, as well as all who attended and purchased items.
In the words of Leeper, “Your belief in this mission matters, and your generosity helps shape our future.”
