800-plus people raised $27K just “PUTZ-ING Around”
Friends and family of Augie Barth of St. Rose, who passed on Feb. 1 of this year at age 59, gathered on Sept. 11 to have a fun day “PUTZ-ING Around.” At the same time, the 800-plus-member group sought to raise a little money for Augie’s three favorite charities:
▪ the St. Rose Development Club, which is devoted to improving the community of St. Rose
▪ Masonic Lodge 583, the fraternal order of Masons in Highland
▪ the Ma-Cli-Bo Shriners Parade Unit, which supports Shriners Hospitals for Children. (Augie loved being the chipmunk in parades.)
The PUTZ-ING Around event included the opportunity to sample food and beverages at six different locations: R Bar in St. Rose, Ed & Millies in Highland, Seg’s Place in Vendy, Alibi’s Bar & Grill in Germantown, and Tina’s Tavern in Jamestown. The “Fun Day” ended at St. Rose Park with food, a silent auction and music.
“I would like to give a very heartfelt ‘thank you,’ to everyone and their generous donations and participation at the event,” said Joyce Barth, Augie’s widow. “And as a result, the Barth family and the PUTZ-ING Around Committee were able to donate $9,000 to each organization. ‘Wow’ is all I can say! When this idea came about, never in a million years did I think we would raise that kind of money, but then why should I be surprised.”
Augie worked as a truck driver for Kohlbrecher Truck Service in St. Rose and prior to that worked as a dairy farmer. He was a member of St. Rose Catholic Church and Men’s Sodality; the St. Rose Development Club, where he served as secretary from 1988-1989 and president from 1996-1997; Breese Knights of Columbus Council 2869; Ma-Cli-Bo Shriners; Ainad Shrine Temple in East St. Louis; Highland Masonic Lodge 583; and Highland Moose Lodge 2479. He was also was a retired volunteer firefighter for the St. Rose Fire Protection District, serving from 1980-2000.
“We have the absolute best support around, and Aug was known and loved by so many people,” Joyce Barth said. “It was a perfect day, and I know that Aug is smiling down on us right now.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 9:37 AM with the headline "800-plus people raised $27K just “PUTZ-ING Around”."