(Seguin) — Kids all across Guadalupe County are expected to be the big winners during this weekend’s Allan Dreibrodt Memorial Fundraiser. The annual event is put on by the non-profit foundation that honors the memory of Allan Dreibrodt, a local businessman and former ag teacher, who loved volunteering and supporting local youth related programs. This year’s fundraiser is set for this Saturday night at the Columbus Club Hall of Seguin (formerly the KC Hall). Brannon Dreibrodt says the event honors his father’s legacy by raising money to support those programs and activities that were so important to him during his life. The idea for the fundraiser came after Allan’s memoir was published and those proceeds were used for the first scholarships.
Brannon says that eventually grew into a much bigger effort that’s been supported by the community.
“That’s what it is all about is those kids and that’s what he wanted these funds to go to. He didn’t want a penny from his books. He wanted it all to go to kids in agriculture and so we said what a great way to continue his name, to continue his legacy of helping these kids like he’s done for so many years then starting something in his name specifically for that purpose,” said Dreibrodt.
The foundation hands out scholarships and also gives away thousands of dollars during the Guadalupe County Youth Livestock and Homemakers Show.
Brannon says they use all the money they raise to help support the children here in this area.
“Each year, we set a minimum scholarship. We don’t set a maximum. We set a minimum where we are going to have to put at least this many scholarships. On top of that, the youth show, the auction, we do Seguin, Navarro, Marion, Cibolo-Schertz, La Verna, Lifegate, we are all over the place,” said Dreibrodt.
Brannon says this will be a fun night on Saturday. He says not only does it help to raise money for a good cause, but folks will also get a full night for their $50 ticket.
“We are going to have Gary Glenn and the 20X Band. A lot of people remember Gary Glenn, he was the lead singer of Wildcard which my generation, everybody knows Wildcard and what’s cool is they still play a lot of that same music, that 90s country so you are talking some great music – of course, there’s a dance. You can’t not dance to that music, a great dinner by Next Door Catering, silent auction, live auction, gun raffles, we have a liquor raffle so many great great items that we have gotten this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final tally,” said Dreibrodt.
Allan Dreibrodt suffered from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and lost his battle several years ago. Despite the limitations caused by the disease, Allan always supported the youth in this community. Brannon says his dad remained positive about his life even during some of the most challenging days. He says that’s one of the reasons why they continue to work hard to keep that legacy alive.
“Near the end, somebody asked him one time, ‘man, what would you do if you could rewind time and not have this disease?’ And dad just kind of sat there for a second and he said ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’ ‘While this is was a horrible’ – of course I had to watch my hero dwindle in front of my eyes, but he said ‘while this was horrible, this made me who I am. This disease brought me closer to my family and brought me closer to my God so that in itself, shows the kind of person that he was. That he was able to take something like that and in his eyes, make it a positive,” said Dreibrodt.
The doors open at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Columbus Club Hall. The dance begins at 7 p.m. and the auction kicks off at 9 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at Gift & Gourmet. Sponsorships and other donations are also still available. For more information, call 830-832-1476 or 830-305-6037.