ONTARIO — “There is no place like home!” was the slogan for the Area Agency on Aging’s third annual fundraiser Thursday night.
The event, centered around a live auction, benefits the Hawkins Corner Community, a group of seven non-profit organizations that all operate out of Hawkins Corner.
As Duana Patton, CEO of both the Foundation and the Agency, explained, the slogan has always remained the same because “that’s what (the agency is) all about: keeping people safe and healthy in their home.”
The Area Agency on Aging represents nine counties within north central Ohio and works to provide “a resource network that supports individual choice, independence, and dignity for older and disabled adults.”
The Foundation was subsequently created when Hawkins Corner was donated to the Agency. Since then the fundraiser has become an annual event.
While the slogan may remain the same year to year, the theme that accompanies it is always new.
This year’s theme was baseball, because there’s no place like home-base! And there was no shortage of odes to the sport, from the stadium food buffet to the baseball trivia slideshow. Even numerous items in the auction, all of which were donated, were baseball themed, such as an autographed Carlos Carrasco baseball and several bottles of Cleveland Indians wine.
While the auction was indeed a means of raising money for the foundation, Patton noted it had another equally important purpose.
“Part of this is really about getting the message out … there’s a community engagement that’s really important.”
This idea was also clearly in the minds of those in attendance, who displayed a genuine passion for the agency.
