NILES — When Becky Eaves heard that her childhood friend, Tim Glover, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in November 2019, she knew she had to do something.
Eaves, along with other community members, have organized a benefit for Glover, a Niles High School graduate and longtime resident, from 4 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Elks Club in Niles. There will be a $10 cover charge per person, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Jim’s Smokin Café will be donating food for the benefit. The owner, Jim Morris, is also a fellow classmate of Glover and Eaves.
This is the second time a benefit has been hosted for Glover, who has battled cancer before and spent a decade in remission, Eaves said. Now, Glover is unable to work as he waits for a blood transfusion.
Eaves, who has been friends with Glover for more than 46 years, first met him in kindergarten at Howard-Ellis Elementary in Niles.
“He has always been a really good friend of mine, and I had talked to his daughter-in-law about buying some bracelets for a donation because she was selling those rubber bracelets,” Eaves said. “After talking to her on Facebook, something just hit me and I said, ‘I can do more than just buying bracelets.’”
Eaves reached out to Glover’s daughter-in-law about planning a benefit, and from there, the community’s support has grown.
Eaves described Glover as super friendly, always with a smiling face and willing to do a similar act of kindness for anyone else.
“Just so outgoing. Everybody loved him, and he’s always been a great person,” Eaves said of Glover’s attitude.
When Eaves first started gathering logistics for the benefit, she called her sister, Karla Eaves, who is a member of the Niles Elks. The previous benefit for Glover had been hosted at the Elks as well.
When Eaves announced that she needed items for the silent auction in a Facebook page, she received an overwhelming amount of responses from the Niles community, local businesses and fellow classmates, she said.
“It’s amazing how many people have reached out to us already for donations and just anything they can do,” Eaves said. “I asked for volunteers to help me with this, and I had so many people just offer to help and it’s been amazing.”
Eaves’ goal for the benefit is to raise as much money as possible to help Glover.
“I don’t even know what to expect. I know there is a lot of people who have said they are coming,” she said.
Additionally, Eaves wants the community to show support for Glover and his family. Entertainment will include a former classmate, who is coming out of retirement to help DJ the event.
“It will be fun for us to be all around Tim,” Eaves said. “When I saw how many people said they would come, and the donations, it proved how many people were willing to step up for Tim and his family.”