HUMBOLDT — Saturday night was filled with emotion for Ava North.
The fourth-grader at Humboldt Elementary tied with Landen Wright, a pre-schooler, for most raffle ticket sales for the HES annual carnival at $630 each. Their efforts won each an iPad.
When the announcement was made in the Humboldt Fieldhouse, Ava and her mother, Gina, dutifully trotted upstairs to the mezzanine to collect her prize.
The fun was just starting.
With iPad in hand, Ava, 9, on instructions from her mother, touched a couple of icons and there was her father, Brandon, whom she hadn’t seen in four months. He is deployed with the U.S. Army in Kuwait.
A big smile shot across her face and then the force of the moment brought tears of joys.
“Hi, Daddy!” she cried.
The event wasn’t happenstance. It had been orchestrated the previous several days when members of the HES Parent-Teacher Organization and staff learned Ava was one of the winners. Dad was contacted and arose in the wee hours of Sunday morning in Kuwait to make the iPad reunion.
After an initial few words, Ava and her mother retired to a private area to talk further with father and husband.
Only a handful of people knew of Ava’s surprise, said Cindy Jaro, a PTO officer. They were so careful that even a Register interview at the school last week was done on the sly, with only a couple of the staff knowing.
“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Jaro said — it was.
The carnival and raffle, its main fundraiser, were unqualified successes. Jaro said Sunday total proceeds were $20,000. Advance raffle ticket sales were a few dollars under $18,000. More were sold at the carnival, along with 25-cent tickets for concessions that included several huge blow-up toys in the fieldhouse.
The raffle had many upscale prizes, such as tickets for KU basketball and Kansas City Chiefs and Royals games, as well as large packets of sports and gardening equipment and a framed painting of mallards by Wes Dewey, noted local wildlife artist.
THE NORTHS were at Fort Riley before Brandon’s fifth deployment to the Middle East late last year. He has 13 years Army service.
When he went to Kuwiat, Gina, Ava and Eli, a pre-schooler, moved to Humboldt for Brandon’s duration. Both natives, she having grown up as Gina Sanchez.
How did Ava manage to sell so many tickets?
“She worked real hard and we also have a big family,” Gina said. “She really wanted the Ipad. I’m excited for her.”
The PTO has definite plans for money raised. Humboldt Cub hoodies will be purchased for all students and staff at HES, the same was done after 2015’s carnival. “We spent $5,500 on the hoodies last year, when we cleared $14,000,” Jaro said. Another portion will go for field trips, which in today’s state-funding environment are difficult for schools. Last year the PTO provided about $5,000 for trips.
