More than $9,000 was raised for a Brown County Sheriff’s Department employee during a drive-thru dinner benefit on Aug. 29.
The sheriff’s department hosted Crissie’s Kick to Cancer Drive-Thru Dinner to help raise money for case manager Crissie Oaldon in her cancer battle. The department announced on its Facebook page that $9,146 had been raised for Oaldon.
“We cannot thank the volunteers, businesses and people that gave their time or money to help make this night special,” the post read.
The post featured a photo of a shocked Oaldon and her husband, Jeff, receiving the money.
“A picture tells a thousand words and that is exactly how we felt: Shocked,” Oaldon said last week.
“Just knowing there are so many people supporting you is an awesome feeling.”
The meal included a pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, coleslaw and chips. There was no set cost for the meal with the department asking only for donations that went directly to Oaldon. A silent auction also took place online.
Det. Brian Shrader helped to organize the benefit after the department’s original idea of having a benefit concert at the Brown County Music Center was postponed due to COVID-19.
He said last week that the department served around 300 meals to people who stopped by for food. There was food left over, so some inmates also enjoyed a meal.
Oaldon has been a county employee since 2011. She started working at the sheriff’s department in 2018.
She was diagnosed with Stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma last December. In April, Oaldon was moved to Stage 4 after doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes during surgery to remove the tumor. She had 15 lymph nodes removed and eight tested positive for cancer.
Currently, there is no cancer in her body, and she will have another mammogram in November to make sure she is cancer-free.
Oaldon’s story was featured in The Democrat the week before the benefit. She said she received a lot of support from her community after it was published.
“It was an emotional week leading up to the event. A simple thank-you barely seems like enough to show my gratitude for the kindness and generosity this community has shown me,” she said last week.
“This event has provided my family with the funds to pay all of my out-of-pocket insurance costs for the year. For that, I will be forever grateful. Thank you to everyone that had a hand in taking away that stress while I focus on healing and living my best life.”
