By Bonnie Culverhouse

Who doesn’t want to be known as a champion? And what better way to prove it to the world than with a tee shirt that not only tells a champion story but also makes money for Minden St. Jude Auction.

Annual Auction apparel brings in close to $50,000, said Lisa Balkom who has been involved with auction apparel since 2012.

Right now, the website is showing regular adult and youth sized tees. But Balkom said it’s only a matter of time before all the other styles arrive at Minden Civic Center.

“It’ll be the long-sleeved tee shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies in four colors.” Balkom said.

And, it’s OK to start ordering on the link immediately.

“Everybody wants a tee shirt, so they sell really well,” Balkom said. “A lot of times people buy a tee shirt and sweatshirt because they want to support the auction.”

Balkom pointed out that even people who come to the Minden Civic Center during the auction may not want to bid, but almost everyone buys a tee shirt.

“Buying a tee shirt may not seem like a lot to most people, but it all adds up,” she said.

Balkom isn’t on her own in the apparel department. There is quite a hard-working committee.

“They are behind the scenes,” she said, explaining the shirts are delivered by an 18-wheeler, “in tons of boxes.”

“Nothing is folded. They are just in the boxes,” she said. “I have a fold crew of probably 20 people. It’s the same people that fold every year. They sort, fold and pull pre-orders.”

Sometimes the shirts don’t arrive until two days before the auction begins.

Some of the fold crew join others to work the “store” on auction days.

“It’s a good team,” Balkom stressed. “I am NOT by myself.”

Champions for a Cure will run February 5-8, 2026.

To order your shirt, please visit https://mindenstjude.com/ .