Country Music Stars, Unique Auction: 43rd Annual Rehab Telethon A Success
By: Homa Bash
Updated: January 20, 2013
For the 43rd year in a row, the West Texas Rehab Telethon took over the airwaves, and this year, took center stage at the Abilene Civic Center Saturday evening.
Headlining the show -- Abilene Native Aaron Watson and up-and-coming country music star, Jana Kramer.
"I got asked to do this and I love doing anything that can help people and raise money for a great cause, so I said 'Absolutely, I'm there,'" Kramer said.
The goal each year is to raise more than a million dollars for the rehab facility to treat patients, regardless of whether they can pay for it or not.
"We never turn you away, we will take care of you," said Dan Huggins, Director of Donor Relations. "And that's the difference and that's why we do these fundraisers."
Alongside the music and phones ringing off the hook with donations, hundreds of auction items lined the Civic Center's exhibit hall, from livestock and celebrity-signed apparel to the most unique item of the evening -- the "Rehab Roho," a six-foot tall statue made entirely of automobile parts, constructed by the mayor of Stamford.
The West Texas Rehab Center has been providing therapy for children and adults in the Big Country for the past sixty years -- and the money raised during their biggest fundraiser will help them continue for many years to come.
Rehab 2013 raised more than $1.2 million, the fourth highest total ever.
Headlining the show -- Abilene Native Aaron Watson and up-and-coming country music star, Jana Kramer.
"I got asked to do this and I love doing anything that can help people and raise money for a great cause, so I said 'Absolutely, I'm there,'" Kramer said.
The goal each year is to raise more than a million dollars for the rehab facility to treat patients, regardless of whether they can pay for it or not.
"We never turn you away, we will take care of you," said Dan Huggins, Director of Donor Relations. "And that's the difference and that's why we do these fundraisers."
Alongside the music and phones ringing off the hook with donations, hundreds of auction items lined the Civic Center's exhibit hall, from livestock and celebrity-signed apparel to the most unique item of the evening -- the "Rehab Roho," a six-foot tall statue made entirely of automobile parts, constructed by the mayor of Stamford.
The West Texas Rehab Center has been providing therapy for children and adults in the Big Country for the past sixty years -- and the money raised during their biggest fundraiser will help them continue for many years to come.
Rehab 2013 raised more than $1.2 million, the fourth highest total ever.
