Dave Clutter — KTIS radio personality — was the master of ceremonies at last weekend’s  Great River Faith In Action (GRFIA) Gala event in Otsego.

 

Saturday, the gala was held at Rockwoods where top sirloin, lemon chicken parmesan and vegetarian were the main courses to choose from. GRFIA Executive Director Curtis Hed joined Clutter — a lifelong friend — on stage throughout the event and even treated the 200+ guests with tastes of his exemplary magical talents.

 

Clutter, a broadcasting celebrity for over 30 years, grew up in Fridley and for 12 years was a reporter for KARE 11 TV before finding work in radio first as a rush-hour traffic reporter and then as a fulltime host. 

 

The theme of Saturday’s event was “The Beauty of Unity”. A silent auction and live auction were conducted and Hed and Clutter ad-libbed as auctioneers to the delight of the patrons.

Hed said he hadn’t received financial totals as far as how much was raised but he was sure the event met the organization’s goals.

 

“It was a financial as well as informational success,” said Hed earlier this week. “Our goal was to raise funds but also to engage more people in helping us care for our elderly neighbors, and in providing furniture to families in need.”

 

Some of the live auction items up for bidding were a 20-speed bicycle, Elton John Concert tickets and vacation packages. Silent auction items were MN Timberwolves tickets, a portrait session from Hubbard Studios, gift baskets and MN Twins and Vikings memorabilia. 

 

GRFIA’s  mission is the following: “Together with our volunteers and sponsors, we help bring together the hands and feet of Christ by:  • Driving a widow to the grocery store or a widower to the doctor’s office; • Giving furniture, such as a bed and chairs, to families rebuilding their lives; • Giving a break to a caregiver who needs time away from the 24/7 demands; • And, much more.

 

As it says in James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

 

In 2017, GRFIA’s volunteers performed over 2,000 acts of kindness, reported over 5,000 hours of volunteerism and put in over 40,000 miles driving clients to the doctor’s offices and grocery stores. GRFIA also had over 300 participants, working over 1,300 volunteer hours, completing over 25 area group projects. In addition to theses activities, GRFIA gave truck-loads of furniture to families in need.

 

Thanks go out to GRFIA’s gala sponsors: Pellco Machine, Inc., Becker Furniture World, Grace Lutheran Church, Central Lutheran, Power Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc., Victory Ministries, J&B Group, Midwest Bus Parts, Inc., Darter Plastics, Beaudry Oil & Propane, Community Development Bank, Marksman Metals Co., Inc., Northwest Machine,  Citizen-Tribune, UMC, Bergan KDV, CentraCare Health, Zylstra Harley-Davidson, Alerus, Cornerstone Automotive and M & M Precision Machining.

 

GRFIA is located at 13074 Edgewood Street in Becker and their phone number is 763-263-4277. Their website is www.grfia.org.