FRANKFORT, Ind. — Kaleb Rule wanted to do something to embody the spirit of 4-H, so he decided to help his friend, Aidan Hendrickson, who is fighting bone cancer.

And on Friday night, July 18, Rule had a lot of help at the 4-H Livestock Auction at the Clinton County & 4-H Fair.

He had donated one of the pigs he was raising for 4-H competition to Aiden, and it was auctioned off as part of the 4-H Livestock Auction, bringing in approximately $22,000, more than twice the amount organizers had expected. All the money will go toward Aidan’s medical bills.

Aidan, 14, the son of Barth and Marie Hendrickson, of Kirklin, is being treated for Osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer, at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. This is the second time he has had cancer.

"He’s in the middle of treatment," his father said. "We’ve gone through about five different sets of chemotherapy. He’s got a couple more rounds, and he has surgery in August, and about 10 more rounds (after) that."

The special auction took place immediately after bidding on hogs for all the 10-year 4-H’ers, including Rule, 18, of Michigantown, Ind., who graduated from Clinton Central High School and is planning to attend Ivy Tech.

Rule and Aidan both drove the 300-pound hog in the ring. While Rule never names his hogs, Barth Hendrickson suggested they should call it Moby Dick.

Bidding started at $5,000 and quickly reached $20,000. The bid was submitted by a collection of individuals, businesses and organizations – something common in these types of auctions.

Most of the time a group might be three or four coming together to bid. However, in this case, it took the auctioneer more than five minutes to read off the list of almost 125 participants.

After that, the auctioneer continued to collect additions to the bid from the audience, bringing in about $2,000 more. The original goal was $10,000.

Joe Rule, Kaleb’s father, who helped organize the effort, said the total was $22,000 that night, but they are collecting more.

They have taken in another $1,000-$2,000, he told Farm World on Monday afternoon. Rule said further donations can be offered by contacting him at joe.rule@co-alliance.com

He noted that some of the individuals donating were other 4-H members, who donated money raised from the sale of their own animals.

"I’m extremely, extremely proud for Clinton County," Joe Rule said.

The pig was sent to market, which is a requirement of 4-H auction rules.

"The pig was just an avenue to bring this together," Joe Rule said. "He was our armored car."

Rule said the effort started earlier in the week.

"My son came to us and wanted to do something good for 4-H," Rule said Friday. "He said it’s not all about the hardware and the banners. He wanted to pay it forward, so he decided to donate one of his pigs in the auction tonight to be sold for Aidan."

Rule said the support had been "overwhelming."

"The community has come together," he said before the auction. "This tight-knit community always seems to come together when the chips are down. We have a young man who has a lot of life in him, and we have to do everything we can to support him and make it better."

"We didn’t know if that was possible, but we’ve blown through that quite nicely," Rule said, adding at the time they appeared to have between $12,000 to $13,000.

Kaleb Rule said he thought donating the hog would be a good way to help his friend, who he has known for several years through 4-H.

"I heard about Aidan needing some help, and I thought it would be a good idea to give back," he said. "That’s what 4-H has taught me."

Barth Hendrickson said the experience was "extremely humbling."

"It kind of embodies the spirit of 4-H – Head, Heart, Hands and Help," he said. "It’s a great opportunity.

He said Aidan is taking things in stride.

"It’s been an up and down ride," he said. "But he’s in good spirits, and he understands what’s going on, and has an eternal perspective on it."

Aidan said that it was "sad to see all the animals go to the auction, but the funds are for good purposes."

Although he didn’t talk about his own situation, he added that he appreciated Kaleb Rule’s efforts.

"I really appreciate his idea to donate to those in need," Aidan said. "I hope it becomes a tradition in 4-H."