Northeast South Dakota Dinner & Auction Celebrates 30 Years

The Make-A-Wish Northeast South Dakota Dinner and Auction in Watertown, SD celebrated its 30th anniversary in the fall of 2022. Nearly 500 people attended the annual event, raising dollars to support life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. On the milestone anniversary of this inspiring event, we sat down with recent event organizers, Gerry Likness (GL) and Laurie Danforth (LD) to learn some of the event’s history.

Q. How did this event begin?

GL and LD: In the 1970s, founders of the event Al Janzen, Roger Crom, Ron Ronke, Scott Schaeffer, Virgil Polak and Ron Peterka were inspired to come together to help families in the community who had a child battling a terminal illness. This group of philanthropists joined together to dream up a 50s-style dance where attendees enjoyed a night of music, companionship and dancing. Bill Janklow, also known as BJ the DJ, would spin records. Auction items were displayed throughout the basement of the Old Elks Club where community members could bid and the money that was raised would help grant wishes for children in the community. When the event first started, it would raise $300$500.

This lively and entertaining fundraiser became an annual event, and over time, it grew! The Sunnyside Inn became the venue for the fundraiser for several years.

Q. How did the Watertown community get involved with Make-A-Wish South Dakota when it was first formed?

GL and LD: In 1984, an official Make-A-Wish chapter was formed in South Dakota and Watertown area fundraisers joined to be one united effort. One of the first wishes that was granted in the Watertown community was a pony for wish kid Lynsey. Wish kid Mary Kay’s wish to meet the Pope was granted thanks to some generous donors who stepped in to make it happen. A couple of other early wishes included a red calf and another wish kid wished to have his truck tricked out.

Q. What are some of your favorite memories of this event?

GL and LD: Support from the philanthropic Watertown community continued and the event grew so large that it was moved to the Event Center in 2004. Virg Polak and Roger Crom put on a skit that sold raffle tickets, one of the biggest money-raisers for the event. I [Gerry Likness] and Marne Hult ambitiously put this event together—the largest event to date.

Q. What do you think is so special that it’s grown year over year from the very beginning?

GL and LD: What makes this event so special is the remarkable support of the Watertown community. Each year, event planners and volunteers are astonished by the number of people who volunteer their time, resources and money to make this event a success. In their words, “It’s about the kids.”

A note from Make-A-Wish SDMT: Gerry Likness, Clark Likness and Laurie Danforth are true examples of inspired people who enthusiastically help run this event year after year. Gerry and Clark started by selling t-shirts and have helped pull the event together each year ever since.

What started out as a small group of people with a heart for children with critical illnesses grew into one of Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana’s largest internal volunteer-run events with 40+ volunteers from Northeast South Dakota, 500 guests and 100 wishes granted in the local area. We’d like to thank Watertown and surrounding communities for their continued dedication and support for this event. The impact you make each year is life-changing to wish kids, their families and the community.

Wish Heroes Virtual Fundraiser

Many dedicated wish families, volunteers, board members, donors, and staff accepted the challenge to be a Wish Hero and fundraise virtually April 15 to May 15, 2022!

Thanks to all of our Wish Heroes, many generous donors, and the four weekly matching corporate sponsors, the Wish Heroes campaign reached new heights, raising nearly $60,000 to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses!

Interested in becoming a Wish Hero for our April 15 - May 15, 2023 campaign? For more information, call us at 605.335.8000 or 800.640.9198 or contact us at info@sdmt.wish.org.

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