By ANNA BROWN

Staff Writer

Over the past months, Donnie Estes has been involved in several fund raisers to help others. Now, as he plans to have gastric bypass surgery, his friends want to do something for him to raise the initial funds he needs for the operation.

A benefit wild coon hunt for Estes will be held Saturday at Padgett's Creek Baptist Church in Cross Keys. A bench show starts at 6 p.m. A treeing contest will be held after the bench show. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be sold from 4-6 p.m. The hunt will be held from 8 p.m. until midnight. For more information call Anthony Henderson at 426-6429 or William Mosley at (864) 208-5702.

Henderson said his father, Tony, had gastric bypass surgery and has lost almost 200 pounds. He said he encouraged Estes to have the surgery so they all could go coon hunting again, so he came up with the idea of having the hunt to benefit Estes.

“He's just a good old fellow, a really good friend who has helped me out over the years,” Anthony Henderson said. “I wanted to halfway repay him.”

Known as “Bigshow” to his friends, Estes, 32, got his nickname because of the success he has had bench showing his coon dogs. He has won shows in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia and in 2004 was the highest scorer of the year for the Protech Kennel Association.

He now is going through the preliminary procedures for the bypass gastric surgery. He hopes to have the surgery in December at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center but needs funds up front before the surgery.

A former Union County Detention Center officer, Estes has been a volunteer with the Cross Keys Fire Department for 17 years. At Padgett's Creek Baptist, he works with the music and plays the guitar.

Estes said he was humbled that his friends wanted to sponsor the benefit for him.

“It surprised me,” he said. “I'm proud that I have friends who would do something like that for me. I already knew I had some good friends, but it caught me off guard.”

Bucky Ward, another church member who is helping to organize the benefit, said Estes has worked with other fund raisers, including one that raised around $1,500 for a girl battling cancer, and he needs and deserves some help.

“He has done so much himself for other people,” Ward said. “He's always helping others.”