By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Mark your calendars–if you haven’t already–because Monday is the first day of the 2024 Henry County Helping Hand Radio Auction.
Helping Hand runs from January 8 through February 28 and will again be held at the Paris Convention Center. It will be broadcast live on our station WHNY. Listen to the Radio Auction at 104.7 FM and AM 1000 WHNY Big Henry. Auction starts at 12:30 pm on weekdays and 12:00 pm on Saturdays.
And this year, there is something new–Helping Hand itself will be livestreaming live video of the auction every day through its website. Set-Up Day video footage from Thursday, January 4, is already on the Helping Hand website at https://henrycountyhelpinghand.com/
Susan Jones Public Relations has set up the website, which is at henrycountyhelpinghand.com.
Tim Stockdale of Susan Jones Public Relations said the video streaming will be easy to find because it will be at the top of the website every day. “The people at Helping Hand are hosting the video on Youtube and we’re embedding it through the website,” he said.
Instead of still photos of the items that will be auctioned, viewers will see video of the items and of the auction itself.
By going online to henrycountyhelpinghand.com, viewers can see the entire slate of items and a stationary camera also wil be set up to show items close up.
DPC is donating new phones for the auction this year.
Last year was a banner year, with a record-setting $519,630 raised for 90 non-profit organizations. Helping Hand raises money each year for over 90 non-profit and civic groups.
The bidding process will be easier, with less lag time on the live radio broadcast and video streaming.
Auctioneers who will be kicking things off Monday will be Andy Collins and Jamie Orr, with the ladies of the Athena Delphian group helping to man the phones.
Here is the schedule of auctioneers for Week 1 of Auction 2024:
Jan 8 – Andy Collins & Jamie Orr
Jan 9 – Junior Staggs
Jan 10 – Amy Veazey
Jan 11 – Noel Hatman
Jan 12 – David Jackson & Darrin Thompson
Jan 13 – Ray Compton
For Week 1, the Phone Panelists will be:
Monday: Athena Delphians
Tuesday: Kiwanis
Wednesday: Lions Club
Thursday: Quota
Friday: Rotary
Saturday: Business & Professional Women
Auction phone is 731-644 1695. Office phone is 731-644-1833. The auction calendar also is posted on the website or you can pick up copies of the calendar at the Paris Convention Center each day.
Photo: Jamie Orr at the mike in January of 2023 with Lions Club volunteers. Photo by Shannon McFarlin.