Members of the Dawson County Woman’s Club collapsed in exhaustion and civic pride Saturday evening after raising more than $8,000 for several local organizations with the club’s annual Garage Sale-Abration at Rock Creek Sports Complex.

“It was a lot of work, but we all had such a good time, said Garage Sale-Abration chairwoman Betsy Connor.

“Everywhere you looked, everyone had smiles on their faces. It just felt so good to be able to give the people of this community something they may not have been able to have otherwise.”

Proceeds from the garage sale will benefit the county’s new victim’s advocacy center for women and children, as well as the senior center and a variety of other woman’s club projects, Connor said.

“This is one service project the woman’s club does that directly affects the people of the community,” Connor said. “We usually have to give to organizations or to specific causes. But being able to give the community items they need at a low cost, sometimes even free, we’d do this even if we didn’t make a dime.”

Sue Poynter, chair of the woman’s club conservation department, views the Garage Sale-Abration as the “ultimate recycling project.”

“It’s an incredible effort the cooperation that can occur in this community,” she said.

The woman’s club expressed thanks to volunteers and the community for donating the items.

“We especially want to thank the Lakeview Center. They helped us over and over again. Torrie Hester for making the balloons for the kids and the face painting and to our husbands and the sheriff’s office for all their assistance. They went out of their way to help us,” Connor said.

“We really appreciate all of them.”

E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.