Carla Clark | For The Republic Annette Donica-Blythe, at left, Jessica Risacher, Debbie Barrett, Tara Board James and Holly Downey, Team Realtor, and Mickey Kim, during the first the Not-So Family Feud fundraiser held by Turning Point at the Commons, Columbus, Ind., Thursday, October 19, 2023.
Carla Clark | For The Republic Annette Donica-Blythe, at left, Jessica Risacher, Debbie Barrett, Tara Board James and Holly Downey, Team Realtor, and Mickey Kim, during the first the Not-So Family Feud fundraiser held by Turning Point at the Commons, Columbus, Ind., Thursday, October 19, 2023.
Host Mickey Kim reminded both contestants and audience members Thursday that Turning Point Domestic Violence Services’ newest fundraising game show required more than a quick and generous flow of creativity.
It might demand, he opined, a generous flow of one additional common commodity.
“The more you drink,” Kim said, referring to the bar at the back of The Commons in downtown Columbus, “the funnier we all will be.”
Let’s just say that ample laughter, and maybe even some within-reason liquor, flowed during the inaugural presentation of “The Not-So-Family Feud” while a crowd of 235 people raised $64,705 for the nonprofit’s cause. And that mission is a super serious one: to work toward the prevention and the elimination of domestic and dating violence.
The Columbus-based regional agency, which provided 6,568 nights of free emergency shelter for clients in 2022, for years has galvanized the community in that passion while preaching its message in area spheres ranging from corporate to scholastic.
Yet, after a brief annual report to the community, the Feud game, patterned after television’s popular “Family Feud” game show, allowed humor to reign supreme. It did precisely that as six local teams — eventual winners Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., law enforcement, real estate, bankers, Turning Point board alumni and the second-place Dance Marathon student alumni — battled for correct answers to match general surveys for everything from most-hated housework to reasons for being late to work.
On the latter, Holly Downey of team real estate thought for sure she a drove toward a correct answer when she told host Kim, “I’m just thinking about my team right here. So I’m gonna go with hungover.”
She drew big laughter and a big wrong-answer buzzer.
Some classic answers inexplicably were left off the board during the night. When contestants were asked to name movies with big theme songs, part-time singer and full-time superintendent Jim Roberts of the school corporation squad understandably and wisely named “Footloose.” But he, too, got the wrong-answer buzzer in return.
Announcer Alan Trisler, a former Columbus Police Department officer, tossed in his wiseacre ways at one point when contestants were asked to finish the expression “under___.” One of the answers no one guessed correctly was “underage.”
To which Trisler dryly quipped into the microphone, ”The police team would have easily gotten that one.”
Whittney Loyd, Turning Point president, spoke of gratitude when the night was over.
“”It was a wonderful evening of fun, laughter and community,” she said, “We were incredibly grateful to have so many individuals willing to play and to help Turning Point.”
Awards
Turning Point presented the following awards during Thursday’s annual meeting before the game show:
- Mission Partner of the Year Award: Jeff Marshall.
- Landmark Award: Shorty and Ro Whittington.
- Community Impact Award: Moose Lodge 398.
- Kris Kindelsperger Volunteer of the Year: Kathy Combs
- Stand Up Award: Tony Gambaiani.
