Fundraiser for Autumn Bitton at Stockman’s

At the end of February, Autmn Bitton’s life changed forever when her husband Brad Bitton died in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Fish Hatchery Road near Grace.  The tragedy of the incident itself can hardly be put into words, but it was compounded by the expenses that accompanied Brad’s loss.  Without insurance, the funeral and medical expenses have been daunting.

As has been the case many times in Caribou County, friends, neighbors, and other supporters have rallied to Autumn’s aid in a number of ways.  One of those ways was a weekend fundraiser initiated by Rian Fernandez of Stockman’s in Soda Springs.  “I knew I wanted to do something, but I haven’t really done something quite like this before, so I reached out to Brenda and Monica,” Fernandez said.

Brenda is Brenda Brannam, who quickly jumped in to help with the process of organizing the event and gathering donors and sponsors, along with Monica Rosen.  “Rian, the owner, came to me and said that she’s never done a benefit this big and asked if I would help her, so of course I said ‘yes, what do you need?’”

Rian told her that “I want to do as much as I can for Autumn, to help her out.  She helps everybody else—she’s the sweetest—she’s in everything, and she takes care of everybody.”

Brenda enlisted Misty Humphreys and Monica Rosen, among others.  “We went around to businesses and got donations, put in on Facebook, let everybody know the this was going to be a day to help Autumn out as much as we could.  I know that those bills are pretty spendy between everything.”

Things took shape quickly, and the event planning went smoothly.  “Once you get all the players in place, it all falls together.  We’ve done this many times in this community and everybody shows up and they know what their area is and they go at it.  I’m here overseeing the different areas people are helping with, that’s why you’ll see me everywhere,” Brenda said.  

Rian Fernandez laughed. “She is the grand proprietor of this whole thing,” pointing to Brannam.  “I wanted to do a fundraiser, and she rolled it all together.”

“It takes a village!” Brannam said.  The village was a large one, as friends and family all queued up to volunteer.

The spaghetti dinner was put together by Autumn’s relative Dawn Beeton, who contacted the group because she wanted to help out.  Rian’s mother Kirsten also provided food for the dinner. 

An online auction held during the event reported a total of $4,600 in donations.  There was not an available figure for the funds raised through event registration, raffle tickets, food tickets, or direct Venmo donations, but the show of support throughout the day was inspiring.  Autumn, and members of hers and Brad’s families were on hand throughout the day, making it a celebration of life as much as an acknowledgement of its fragility. 

The pool tournament was won by Wyatt Latham.  The dart tournament was won by the team of Larry Lish and Radney Jackson.  Cornhole was ultimately won by Brenda Brannam and Clayton Short.

The event was packed from early afternoon until late, and as a result there was a full complement of standby volunteers to act as designated drivers.   

“We have a lot of sober people who come in a lot.  They’re soda drinkers, and they come in for social time,” Fernandez said.  “And they offered up their time.”

“I have a list of people too,” Brannam said.  “I have to work tomorrow, so I for one know I need me and my car to stay safe so I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow.  We made sure we had enough DDs on hand to get everyone and their car home safe.  No DUIs, no accidents.  We want everyone to be safe.”

Autumn Bitton said, “Today has been fantastic.  We’ve had a great turnout, and everybody has just been so kind.  My husband and I had a lot of good friends.”  

As to how she has been since the accident, Autumn said, “I’ve been doing good.  Just taking care of myself as I can and piecing it together.  We did not have any insurance—no life insurance, nothing.  So all of the medical bills are coming on to me…from Caribou and clear to Portneuf, that’s all coming onto me.  So this is a big help for those things.”

The morning crowd only increased as the day wore on, and Autumn later said, “I would like to thank everybody in this community.  Everyone has been so great, whether it’s here or personally on the street or anything else.  We live in just such an amazing place—it’s heartwarming.  I would really like to highlight the people coming together here.”

“We’re all here for Autumn.  All the love.  There’s a lot of people coming today—it’s going to be a good event,” Brannam said.

A partial list of donors to the auction and raffle, conducted by Angelina Butler, includes: Adam McAllister, Alyson Smith, April Hansen, Artic Circle, Bear River Chiropractic, Becky Peterson, Bisco, Black Swan Inn, Brandi Turner, Brian Hopkins, Carey Bradley, Carl & Brenda Erickson, Chance Dimick, Chris Sherburne, Clayton & Shanna Perkins, Connie Preece, Crofty Crafts, Dale & Sue Mason, Daphne Allen, Darla Rose, Dawn Beeton, Dirtbag Ranch, Epi Slane, Erin Olsen, Gibbs Farms, Heather Hennings, Home Hotel, Idaho Mountain Adventures, Jamie Hill, Jason Ashley, Jeanette Westbrook, Jeri Keevil, Jeri Seelos, Jim Dexter, Jim Keetch, Karlie Premo, KBH Drine Services, KCP Outdoor Creations, Lava Hot Springs Pools, Lexi Jackson, Lisa Wilde, Little Wicked Wonders, Main Street Diner, Melina Langedyke, Michelle Skinner, Misty Pabst, Nancy Lindsay, Natalie Peterson, Nick & Misty Hopkins, Nick Brannam, Olivia Bunderson, One Shot, Oregon Trail Eye Care, Potters Creations, Rudy McAllister, Sonja Dursteler, Spencer Basset, Stockmans Bar, Teri Moor, Texas RoadHouse, Thundermountain Elk Ranch, Till Then Boutique, Tina Smith, Travis Stewart , Trenton & Kaylee Thompson, Unique Wood, Unraveled by Erica Sue, Wake & Move Mountains, Whitney Offret, Wyndymon Leathers, Your Vision Designs.