3 days ago
Wagner rummage sale raises thousands to support local cancer patients
Jun. 3—WAGNER, S.D. — It's not hard to find a rummage sale — especially this time of year. But one in Wagner is different. It doesn't just clear out closets — it raises thousands of dollars for cancer patients and their families, keeping every dollar local and every effort deeply personal.
The Wagner Cancer Walk and Rummage organization has been a fixture in the community for 16 years. Founded by longtime 4-H leader Arlis Kafka, the event was born from a simple yet powerful realization: the money raised in small towns like Wagner was being sent to larger cities, while people right at home were struggling.
"I remember cleaning for a man going through cancer treatment. I saw firsthand how hard it was — not just physically, but financially," Kafka said. "At the same time, I learned that the money our 4-H kids had raised for cancer through Relay for Life didn't stay here. That didn't sit right with me."
That moment sparked an idea to keep Wagner's generosity close to home. The Wagner Cancer Walk began in 2007 as a fundraiser organized by the local 4-H Club, timed to coincide with the weekend of the 4-H Achievement Days. The first year featured selling luminaries and T-shirts, serving a community meal and honoring those currently battling cancer as well as remembering those who had lost their fight.
Inspired again by the 4-H Club's tradition, Kafka added a rummage sale to the effort — building on the club's annual rummage sale that helped raise funds for their own expenses. What started as a simple fundraiser has since grown into one of the area's largest and most supported events, with every dollar raised staying in the local community. Today, the organization directly helps cancer patients in Wagner, Lake Andes, Marty, Dante and Pickstown.
Held each June at the Wagner National Guard Armory, the sale is a massive undertaking. This year's runs June 4 to June 6. In the days before opening, volunteers transform the armory into a rummage wonderland — setting up 128 tables, racks of clothes and even shopping carts to help manage the crowds.
They accept household items, small appliances, clothes, toys, books, bedding and furniture—just no old TVs or computers. As donations come in, so do stories, and that's how Vice President Jeanne Horner first found her way to the cause. She met Kafka at another rummage sale, where a young woman was raising money for a cancer run.
"Arlis told me about her rummage that supported a walk right here in Wagner," Horner said. "I was hooked."
For Horner, who lost both of her parents to cancer, the mission is deeply personal.
"Back then, there just wasn't much that could be done. My dad didn't even make it a year after diagnosis," she said. "So now, when I see survivors coming back year after year, it gives me hope. There can be life on the other side of cancer."
That hope is backed by action. Thanks to funds raised through the rummage and annual walk, the organization now provides local cancer patients with $500 in Chamber Bucks every six months — offering tangible relief while supporting local businesses.
Most years, the sale generates between $12,000 and $17,000. Last year alone, the group was able to assist 28 cancer patients.
"We've come a long way from giving $50 checks that first year," Kafka said.
The impact goes beyond June. In August, the organization hosts the Wagner Cancer Walk at Wagner Lake. This year's walk is set for August 9 at 7 p.m. The evening includes a community meal, a lakeside walk, survivor group photo, memorial tributes, a Chinese lantern release and a fireworks display donated by Bouza Fireworks in honor of owner Justin Bouza's mother, Missy Wunder.
The event also honors those lost with a tribute video and a garden flag memorial. A pink concrete ribbon now graces the park, created in memory of Wunder and Deb Soulek — just one of many lasting tributes along the organization's path.
Putting on an event of this scale takes an army — about 36 volunteers, many of them retirees who "just keep going," according to Horner.
"We finally got some men involved in recent years," she said. "But it's truly amazing how much is accomplished in one week."
That sense of shared purpose runs deep. "You talk to people in town —at the bank, the grocery store, city hall — and everyone wants to help," Horner said. "One year, we got free ice cream to give out. Another year, free Doritos. People just want to be part of it."
As Horner sees it, the community's generosity comes from a place of understanding.
"Sadly, almost everyone has been touched by cancer," Horner said. "That's why they give — and that's why we keep going."
The Wagner Cancer Rummage will be held June 4 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., June 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and June 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All proceeds go to support cancer patients in Wagner and surrounding communities.
