And the winning bid goes to…Caston FFA: Bane-Welker donates to virtual FFA gala

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — As a proud sponsor of the 2020 Indiana FFA Blue and Gold Gala, Bane-Welker donated a tool cabinet and several tools to be auctioned off at the recent virtual event.

Out of concern for the safety of their donors and friends, the FFA felt it was best to stay in homes and celebrate the Indiana FFA Blue and Gold Gala virtually this year.

But leave it to the ag community to make the event a major success. That decision did nothing to slow down momentum.

The FFA did six live feeds with a total viewing audience of 2,655. Additionally, they had 537 bids on auction items.

When totaled, the event raised over $14,000 in the auction — and the grand total, including sponsorships, was over $55,000.

“From our standpoint, virtual event or not, we were happy to support the FFA,” said Jason Bane, president of Bane-Welker Equipment. “These students are our future customers, our future employees and our future community leaders. We want to support them in any way we can.”

The highest number of bids on one item was 28, and those bids were for the Bane-Welker tool cabinet. The winning bid on the toolbox went to the Caston FFA.

“We were looking for a cabinet or toolbox of that size for our shop, so when I saw this on the auction, I knew what I was bidding on,” said Nick Korniak, Caston FFA adviser and ag teacher. “This toolbox and the tools that were included will be put to use immediately.”