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There was no shortage of drama surrounding Kokomo Urban Outreach’s (KUO) Empty Bowl fundraiser last week. First, a celebrity bowl was stolen. Then, two celebrity painters got into a heated competition. And most importantly, the community turned out strongly to support the nonprofit in its mission to instill good values in area kids.
The nonprofit held its event at Cross America and drew quite a crowd at lunch and dinner on March 8. Patrons paid a freewill donation in exchange for soup in a bowl painted by a child participating in KUO’s UP or MiniUp programs. And that evening, a series of bowls painted by “celebrities” from the local community were auctioned off for KUO’s benefit.
Of course, the drama of the event was mostly staged. Chad McCarter from Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Kokomo found his stolen bowl – a bedazzled creation in Coca-Cola colors -- just in time for the auction. And the mastermind behind the theft was Old Ben, the mascot of Kokomo Beach and Highland Park mainstay.
But wait! In a scene straight out of a Scooby-Doo mystery, Old Ben was unmasked to reveal City of Kokomo development specialist Tom Tolen as the true culprit.
McCarter wasn’t done with the pre-auction hijinks. He and Sun King of Kokomo owner Amanda Lewton threw shade at each other over the extravagant measures each had taken to draw attention to their celebrity plates. While Lewton’s celebrity bowl raised the most money, it came at an added cost.
McCarter was the winner of the Sun King auction, raising his bid to $1,000 in exchange for Lewton bowing to him in appreciation. She defiantly complied in order to ensure KUO took home a big check.
There were plenty of other celebrity bowls auctioned off over the course of the evening, bringing KUO executive director Sherry Rayl to tears as the bids rolled in.
“I really feel grateful,” said Rayl through tears of joy. “I’m just so grateful. This community is amazing and does wonderful work for these kids. I can't thank them enough.”
Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore was on hand to open the evening festivities, and he expressed his appreciation for the nonprofit, explaining that he holds KUO out as an example of positive things being done for youth in the community.
“As mayor, I appreciate everything that Kokomo Urban Outreach does,” said Moore. “The UP and MiniUP programs are incredible. I get asked daily what is the city doing to help find things for kids to do? I immediately point up, pun intended. This program has done incredible things for so many youth in our community.”
A tradition is beginning to develop as part of the Empty Bowl event. One celebrity bowl in particular made its third straight appearance at the auction. A Blue Star/Gold Star memorial bowl, painted by Marla Miller in memory of Preslie Lynn Dennis returned, and the two men responsible for its repeated auctions were there to outbid each other once again.
Joey Kimbrough and Gene Kostrewa dueled back and forth, but Kostrewa ended up the winner of the bowl for a second year in a row. Kimbrough explained that he has been devoted to the KUO cause for several years.
“I had been with Jeff for a while, and he did great stuff,” said Kimbrough. “Now Sherri has taken over and is doing equally good stuff. They're helping the future, our children, and the community.”
Kimbrough explained that he and Kostrewa have turned the memorial plate into a competition. He won the plate at auction in 2022 and donated it back for last year’s event. Kostrewa followed suit in 2023 for this year’s event and won the auction again.
“I hope we can make this the ‘Hope’ doll for KUO,” said Kimbrough.
Kostrewa echoed Kimbrough’s sentiments and explained how he became devoted to helping KUO.
“I started volunteering when I was in my financial planning practice,” said Kostrewa. “We would close the office one day a month and go help at the KUO food pantry. When I was at the point where I close to retiring, Jeff asked, ‘why don't you come in and help out?’ So I started helping.”
It was then that Newton had Kostrewa read a book called “Toxic Charity.” It changed the way he looked at giving.
“It just floored me, the fact that we need to teach people to work, not just give them stuff,” said Kostrewa. “We have to teach them to have some kind of skin in the game. So, I was all in with KUO.”
Kostrewa tutored a kindergarten student for an entire school year, and he saw what a difference investing in kids can make. He has been a part of KUO ever since.
“If you want to impact the next generation, help these kids,” said Kostrewa. “They will love you forever. You might not see it right now, but you might see it in the next 10 years. Don't expect instant results, but I've seen these kids change.
“I've seen kids that were straight F students earn Bs and Cs because of somebody who cared enough to love them or encourage them. Most kids are really good kids, and they're malleable. You can move them and make changes in their lives if you just take the time to develop a relationship with them.”