Solid oak reclaimed wood table will go to the highest bidder & funding to LOTUS

"Brad Smith is a former police officer and detective raising money through his fine woodworking business for LOTUS children's advocacy and sexual abuse center."

"There's a lot of character in this old slab of wood." said retired detective Brad Smith. As a former police officer and detective, Smith has seen more than his fair share of ugliness in the world. In hopes of providing a bright spot, he's selling his beautifully crafted, solid oak, eight foot accent table to the highest bidder. 

Smith is auctioning off his table to the highest bidder and all the proceeds will go to LOTUS in Paducah. LOTUS is Kentucky's regional children's advocacy and sexual abuse center serving eight counties in the Purchase area. "Having dealt with children that have been molested or sexually assaulted...those kids will break your heart." said Smith. 

In a video shot by Smith, he said the sexual abuse of children is one of the toughest things to talk about but 'it's a reality'. "Some of the toughest things you can imagine happens to these kids." he said. What LOTUS does is help children go from victim to survivor.

Smith went on to discuss his personal experiences with LOTUS as an advocacy organization and 'safe haven' for children. Nearly 700,000 children in the U.S. are abused or neglected every year. Based on  a Norton's Children's study, Kentucky ranks among the top in the nation for child abuse. Statistics show that 23 out of every 1,000 children are abused in Kentucky.

Smith's personal Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/brad.smith.355​ has the bidding ability. Opening bid started at $250 with the highest bid (as of early afternoon January 5) is $650. At 5:02 pm it's at $1,000. The hope is to raise as much money as possible and the winning bidder is prompted to write the check directly to LOTUS located at 1605 N. Friendship Rd., Paducah, KY 42001.

Bidding on the table will end on January 9, 2021. All you need to do is go to his Facebook page and place your bid in the comments. Smith said, you're invited to go by the shop and check out the table. The shop is located at 4161 State Route 1124, Mayfield, KY. And, if you're not interested in bidding on the solid oak table made from reclaimed wood, make a donation to LOTUS. Nothing is too small.