22nd annual Blooming Prairie Cancer Auction this weekend

BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. (KTTC) – The community of Blooming Prairie is coming together to help raise money for the fight against cancer.

Starting Friday evening, the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group is hosting its 22nd annual auction.

Back in 2001, the original founder was inspired to create a group in her community after she saw the impact of the Eagles Cancer Telethon, an event that KTTC has helped put on for nearly 70 years.

The first year, the Blooming Prairie group raised around $1,700. Today, more than 20 years later, they’ve raised more than a million dollars.

This weekend is their biggest fundraiser of the year.

The auction starts Friday evening starting at 7 under the big tent outside the Cue Company. It starts back up on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. with family bingo and the auction at 7.

There’s also raffle tickets and t-shirts available for purchase.

In addition to raising money for the telethon and the Hormel institute, they’ve also created a community fund. That’s money going directly to people in the Blooming Prairie who are battling cancer.

“We help with gas cards, driving to and from appointments, we help with parking passes. We have helped build a wheelchair ramp for a lady who needed a wheelchair. Just anything we can to help that insurance won’t help,” event organizer Cheri Krejci said.