Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Pancake Benefit Breakfast, Raffle and Silent Auction will be held Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. at The Golden Cup in Nederland at 1336 Boston Avenue.

The event strives to raise money for The Fults Family of Orange to help offset mounting medical bills.

The event is a collaboration of Southeast Texas small business owners and is organized by Brandon Hammock, publisher of BeLocal-Golden Triangle.

“Most people know that small businesses are the backbone of any local economy, but many miss the fact that the owners of these businesses are people, too.” Hammock said. “They contribute to local causes like youth sports, community parks, food drives and most importantly, individuals in need of a little help.”

Saturday’s event is an effort to raise awareness and money for the Fults Family. Josh and Devon Fults are lifelong residents of Southeast Texas, Josh of Kirbyville and Devon of Port Neches.

The couple met at East Texas Baptist University while studying counseling psychology and has been married for 15 years. Both are licensed counselors and have dedicated their careers to helping Southeast Texans with mental and spiritual health.

They have three children together, son Hayden, 12; and two daughters Hadley, 10, and Hollyn, 6.

The couple served as counselors in Port Arthur at Samaritan Counseling and at the Medical Center of Southeast Texas’ outpatient transition program.

Josh served as associate pastor in his father’s church, Trout Creek Baptist (of Kirbyville) until accepting the role of lead pastor of 1st Baptist of Orange in 2021, where the couple lives today.

In 2016, their daughter, Hadley, was rushed to the emergency room, fell into a coma, and was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

After a month of testing in the hospital, she was diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis, a rare disorder in which one’s body creates antibodies that attack the brain.

Later they gave birth to Hollyn, and their troubles were compounded when her newborn screening revealed she had the same metabolic disease as her sister.

The AE diagnosis begins the long-list of medical issues these brave girls have endured, several of which remain “undiagnosable”.

Hollyn has undergone several surgeries and chemotherapy, and they traveled cross-country several times seeking treatment for their medical conditions.

The Fults family has spent seven years traveling to specialists. The treatments for the girls’ conditions have put a strain on the couple’s finances, as many of the treatments aren’t covered by insurance.

In May, Devon began experiencing debilitating headaches. The pain grew to be so great, that Josh rushed her to the emergency room. A scan revealed a cyst on her brain. She was taken to Houston, and after a battery of tests, neurosurgeons discovered a tumor that wraps around the perimeter of her brain.

“When we heard about The Fults’ growing situation, we knew that we had to do something,” said Hammock. “After talking about it with some of our Rotary group and other small business owners, the idea of a breakfast benefit was born.”

Tickets for a to-go style pancakes with toppings are $10. Half of the proceeds are going directly to the Fults family.

Raffle tickets are $10 for donated items from local small businesses, drawing Saturday afternoon and a silent auction for larger items can be bid on at The Golden Cup during the week leading up to the event.

100 percent of raffle and auction money raised goes to the family and tickets can be purchased at The Golden Cup.

To donate raffle items and to find more information, visit BeLocal – Golden Triangle on Facebook.