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By RHONDA ROSS
Staff Writer

Over 1,000 people braved the bitter cold to attend a spaghetti dinner held Tuesday evening at the Arkansas City High School Cafeteria.

Later that evening, between basketball games, agri-science teacher and FFA sponsor Cory Epler presented a check for $4,900 to a volunteer group that located Jodi Sanderholm's car last month.

Epler said today more than $8,000 had been collected from Tuesday night's fundraiser, after a later tally. All money raised will be presented to EquuSearch, the Texas-based volunteer group.

The amount raised exceeded the $5,000 goal set by the event organizers, Epler said. The dinner was sponsored by Ark City's FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Kay Club.

Sanderholm's car was found Jan. 9, four days after she was reported missing. Her body was found several miles away earlier that day.

It took less than a minute for the EquuSearch team to locate Sanderholm's black Dodge Stratus at the bottom of the Cowley State Fishing Lake. Her body was discovered in southeastern Cowley County, less than 12 miles from the lake.

At last night's fundraiser, a line of people waiting to be served stretched from the school's cafeteria around the corner and down the hallway past the gymnasium. A second, separate line for take-out dinners, was almost as long.

Sanderholm's family, including her niece and namesake, Emma Jolea, who was born the day after her aunt disappeared, attended the dinner. They were seated at adjoining tables in the center of the cafeteria.

Also seated at the Sanderholm table was EquuSearch's founder and director, Tim Miller.

Miller, of Dickinson, Texas, flew back to Kansas, he said, not just to attend the dinner, but to meet Jodi's family for the first time -- something he felt he was missing. "There was a hole there and I had to fill it," he said.

He said at the time he was called in to help locate Jodi, it wasn't the right time to meet her family. "That was their time," he said.

Miller knows only too well what the Sanderholm family is going through and will continue to go through, because his 16-year-old daughter, Laura, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 1984, though her body went undiscovered for "17 long months," he said, and her murder remains unsolved.

Miller said the Ark City community response to the fundraiser was, "overwhelming for a small town."

"It says something about this family," he said.

Miller underwent neck surgery in late January and wore a neck brace at the dinner. He took it off whenever someone wanted to take his picture.

Patti Butler, an event organizer, said that she and other volunteers cooked 100 pounds of spaghetti and baked 2,000 cookies and 60 loaves of garlic bread.

Butler said that more than 600 tickets were pre-sold since tickets went on sale less than two weeks ago. The three sponsoring organizations raised and donated a combined $700 to purchase the food and supplies to host the fund raiser.

Almost $1,000 was already in the cash box from walk-ins less than an hour after the dinner started, Epler said.

Approximately 50 tables seated 300 people at a time. People farther back in line could only hope they'd have a place to sit when their turn came, because seats weren't empty for long.

Each table had a donation can sitting in the center.

Another guest at the Sanderholm table was newly appointed Arkansas City Police Chief Sean Wallace. He spent some time exchanging hugs and chatting with Miller. Looking at the crowd of people, Wallace said, "I love this town."

Seated nearby were Randy Parks and his wife, Susan, of Oxford. Parks and his son, Dave, a Nashville recording artist, co-wrote a song for Jodi Sanderholm -- "Song for Jodi" or "Dance" -- that was played at her memorial service. The song is posted on thedaveparks.com.

Earlier, in the food line, Parks had spoken to his son, Dave, on his cell phone. He said Dave told him that the song had been downloaded about 1,500 times from his site alone and had found its way onto at least 50 people's MySpace pages.

"That was the point of the whole thing, to get the message out," Parks said.

Emotions resurfaced when, in a closed forum, the Sanderholms answered questions from the press before the check presentation.

Jodi's parents, Brian and Cindy, expressed their appreciation to the community and the media for their "attention and professionalism."

"You helped get the news out fast," Brian said.

Miller sat close to Cindy at the press conference. He brought tears to her eyes when he talked about the "empty place at the table."

"I feel like they're family," he said of the Sanderholms. "All I want to do is give them hugs."

Miller may have that opportunity in the future. Cindy Sanderholm said that her husband has expressed interest in becoming a member of Miller's search and rescue team.

Above: Members of Jodi Sanderholm's family attended a fundraiser for EquuSearch Tuesday at Ark City High School. Front row: Steve Constance, Jeff Kuchenbecker (holding Emma Mayfield), Jennifer Mayfield, Jason Sanderholm and Don Shanks. Second row: Brian Sanderholm, Peggy Shanks and Cindy Sanderholm listen as a check for $4,900 was presented to EquuSearch.