Felling Trailers, Inc. conducted its tenth annual online auction of an FT-3 drop deck utility trailer to benefit a non-profit organization: Eagle’s Healing Nest. A winning bid of $7,752.00 won the auction that ended at noon on the 27th of August. The bid winner was Joe Welch of Caledonia, MN.
Joe, an equipment dealer, has followed Felling Trailers’ Trailer for a Cause auctions for a few years. “This was the first auction I was able to catch before it closed. When I saw the cause, I really wanted to help support the Eagle’s Nest’s ‘Promises Made Promises Kept’ mantra. This is an exceptionally important mission they are undertaking that not only affects the people getting assistance by the entire community and the community of volunteers that assist in their cause,” said Joe. With just six minutes left in the auction, Joe placed his bid of $7,752.00, winning the bid at the close of the auction.
A week after the auction had finished, Joe and his father Jerry, an Army veteran who served from 1955-1957, made the close to four-hour drive from Jerry’s home in Gilbert, MN, to Sauk Centre to pick up the Patriot Blue, FT-3 Trailer for a Cause. Once at Felling Trailers, they met with Felling Trailers’ owners: Brenda Jennissen and Bonnie Radjenovich, along with Chris Senger, Felling Trailers’ Senior Material Handler, who is also on Eagle’s Healing Nest’s Advisory Board and a volunteer. Chris shared with Joe and his father how Eagle’s Healing Nest came to be nine years ago. “The Nest is run by veterans and volunteers. Many of the vets who have moved on from the Nest still come back to visit and help. We currently have 2-3 new vets coming to the Nest each week needing to heal, with over 100 vets calling the nest home,” said Senger. Joe shared with the Felling team that he had a proxy bid set of $10,000 and that he would be writing an additional check for $2,000 to be donated to Eagle’s Healing Nest. “This was the right trailer, the right cause. Our veterans are very important. We need to take care of them,” said Joe. “A very big thank you to you, the Felling family, and team members for all they do to help support their community. It’s organizations and people like you that go beyond what is expected and give back to our communities, helping them grow and prosper. I am very glad I could be a small part of this cause.”
Joe will be using the trailer for a little bit of fun hauling his side by side, but primarily for his business, Joe Welch Equipment, selling used farm and industrial equipment. “I am looking forward to people asking what the promises made promises kept means!” said Joe. Along with his father, Jerry, Joe’s brother Bill served in the National Guard, and a very good friend Bob Hosch served in WWII. “It’s important that we take care of our veterans however we can. Each person that steps up to volunteer and to help makes such a difference,” said Welch.
The 2022 Trailer for a Cause FT-3 utility trailer was painted a custom metallic “Patriot Blue” with chrome pinstriping and bared the Eagle’s Healing Nest’s emblem along with its credo “Promises Made. Promises Kept.” Several Felling Trailers’ suppliers joined to support Eagle’s Healing Nest by sponsoring the trailer build, from lighting to tires to decking. The 2022 Trailer for a Cause sponsors were Trans-Texas, PPG, Dexter, Sealco, Peterson, Industrial Wood (Blackwood), Demco, Pacific Rim, and Metal Crafters/Flexco. Felling Trailers wanted to generate awareness about the invisible wounds of war that our veterans carry and how Eagle’s Healing Nest helps them restore their honor, dignity, pride, and purpose. The online auction ran for six days, from Monday, August 22nd at 7 am through Saturday, August 27th (during Eagle’s Healing Nest’s Annual Nest Fest), at noon CST, ending with Welch’s winning bid of $7,752. One hundred percent of the $7,752, plus Welch’s additional proxy bid for a total of $9,752, will benefit Eagle’s Healing Nest!
