For the 32nd consecutive year, KVOE did its part to support the best and brightest in education Thursday night.
The annual National Teachers Hall of Fame Radio Auction took over the airwaves and brought in a total of $14,915. NTHF Administrative Assistant Jennifer Baldwin expressed her gratitude to everyone who contributed to this year’s auction, including various hall of fame inductees from around the country.
Baldwin says their participation in the auction illustrates how the Hall of Fame is far more than just a weeklong experience in Emporia each year.
KVOE Station Manager Ron Thomas says the auction is not only a fun night for all, it is an important one.
As always, Thursday’s auction originated from the Industrial Road Branch of Emporia State Federal Credit Union and culminated American Education Week activities. ESFCU Vice-President Josh Hubler says they are proud of their role in supporting the Hall of Fame each year.
If you were unable to bid on items during Thursday’s auction, the online auction is still ongoing through December 1. The bid sheets for the online auction are available through nthf.org, charityauctions.net and kvoe.com.
Thursday night’s auction was not the only highlight for the National Teachers Hall of Fame as the morning began with a special presentation from the Kansas Tourism Board to the National Memorial to Fallen Educators. Members of the Tourism Board, including Director Bridgette Jobe, presented Baldwin with a $16,000 Kansas Tourism grant to benefit the memorial.
Jobe says when looking for attractions to support across the state with these dollars, she was drawn to the memorial professionally and personally.
Baldwin says the importance of this support for the memorial cannot be understated noting the memorial is a site that everyone should visit at least once.
The names of nearly 190 educators are now inscribed on three granite tablets. The original memorial, dedicated in June 2014, had 114 names on two granite tablets.
The memorial gained national memorial status back in 2018 thanks to the work of Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran. The memorial is rededicated every year as a part of NTHF induction week activities in Emporia.
