A local charity fundraiser brought in $1 million last weekend, with the proceeds to benefit healthcare and wildlife research in Kleberg County.

More than 200 people participated in the annual South Texas Charity Quail Hunt (STCQH) in Kingsville last weekend, which included a number of hunting, social and shopping activities.

The event, which has been held in Kleberg County for two decades, benefits Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg, The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management and HALO-Flight Inc.

This year’s activities included hunting competitions, nature tours of the King Ranch, a banquet and live and silent auctions. The weekend also included works for sale by artists, silversmiths and jewelry makers, with a portion of the proceeds going to the STCQH.

Frank Horlock, of Riviera, was one of the founders of the event, which began in 1992.

“I had been asked to raise some money to put into the baseball program at Texas A&I, which was becoming Texas A&M (University-Kingsville),” Horlock said. “Nolan Ryan is an old friend of mine… and I got he and Ruth to chair it. We called it the Nolan Ryan Charity Quail Hunt.”

In the first two years, the event raised $350,000, which was used to build what is now Nolan Ryan Field, the home baseball field for the Javelinas.

With the success of that initiative, Horlock said attention turned toward helping Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg.

“The hospital is important to everybody,” Horlock said. “A lot of our sponsors and supporters are people who have ranches or leases in this area, where they come and hunt. So a first-class hospital and a first-class emergency center is very attractive to them.”

Stephen J. “Tio” Kleberg, who co-chairs the STCQH with his wife, Janell, said ensuring the hospital has the resources it needs is a focus of the organization. Because Kleberg County is a rural community, Kleberg said adding funding for HALO-Flight Inc. was a natural fit.

“I’m adamant about healthcare in our community,” Kleberg said. “The community needed to get behind this and make sure our hospital not only stayed open, but had the best equipment that was available to help the people.”

Norman McBride, vicepresident and chief operating officer for Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg, praised the work done by the organization last week.

“The STCQH is a supreme example of a finely coordinated community effort to come together and provide financial support for selected charitable programs in the community while having fun and making new friends,” McBride said. “Our Kingsville hospital is a major beneficiary and with this financial support is able to offer the best in medical care facilities and services to this area.”

In addition to healthcare, the organization also provides funding for the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management.

Fred Bryant, the director of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, said the funding he receives goes directly toward research that helps improve the quail hunting industry in South Texas.

“We designate the funding we receive toward quail research, because quail are so important to Texas and the region in terms of rural economies and land stewardship, and almost land preservation in some ways,” Bryant said. “Quail are the game bird that drives the (hunting) economy in South Texas.”

The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management uses the funding to support its range management programs, Bryant said.

The STCQH also named its South Texans of the Year for 2012 over the weekend. Selected for the honor were Gary and Ollabelle Hall, both of Houston.

“They see the need, they’re very generous people,” Kleberg said of the couple Tuesday. “They have been huge supporters since day one.”

Organizers said supporters from outside the area are part of what makes the STCQH a unique event. Since 1995, the organization has raised $9.3 million, with 100 percent of that funding staying in Kleberg County. While several local individuals are active in organizing and donating to the event, Bryant and Kleberg said the majority of the donated funds come from people who do not live in Kleberg County.

“Besides a couple of local families who financially support the event, I would say 80- 85 percent of the money that comes into the event comes from outside Kingsville, and even outside the region,” Bryant said. “People come from Austin, Houston and Dallas. They come down here and enjoy this event, and they know that whatever they give, they’re giving to good causes. And then they leave and go back home.

“It’s remarkable that people come from all over Texas for this event, and they may leave significant amounts of money for charitable organizations that they may never use,” Bryant added.

Kleberg agreed with that assessment, and said the generosity of the donors stemmed from relationships with people in Kleberg County and from the work the organizations that benefit from the funds do in the area.

“When Frank Horlock makes a call to somebody and says, ‘We want you to get involved,’ they will not turn him down,” Kleberg said. “I think it’s that direct contact and direct friendship and relationships.”

Hosting the event presents a number of challenges, from lodging for more than 200 people to food and travel. To ensure that funding raised goes directly to the four entities selected, all lodging, auction items, food and other essentials are donated.

“Everything that we have for that event is donated,” Kleberg said. “It’s the support that we have from individuals that makes this thing work.”

Volunteers come from a variety of areas, including the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg and the King Ranch. The event also receives significant logistical support from Texas A&M University- Kingsville.

Organizers are already making plans for next year’s event, and Kleberg said they hope to continue helping the local community for many years to come.

“I think it boils down to the relationships. The friends that each one of us has individually, they know that the money is going to help students, it’s going to help property owners and it’s going to help healthcare,” Kleberg said. “It directly highlights the hospital and their needs, it highlights the students, it highlights the university – it’s a win for everybody in this community.”