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From a Loretta Lynn signature tucked away in her baby book to a snapshot signed by actress Sally Field in response to a fan letter, Jessica Lowe Vokes has collected famous celebrities’ autographs ever since she was a little kid; a pastime that has since transitioned into the largest non-campaign fundraiser for the United Way of Jasper County.

Instead of adding them to her own collection, the UWJC executive director’s inventory of special items signed by athletes, actors and political figures will be up for grabs at the local organization’s Autograph Auction, sponsored by Edward Jones. The fundraiser begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Newton Elks Lodge, which donated the space to the UWJC.

The three-year-old, ever growing event is the brainchild of Lowe Vokes, who said the fundraiser has helped raise thousands of dollars to help people in Jasper County. With just a few days before the auction kicks off, Lowe Vokes said the UWJC has gathered about 100 autographed items.

“It’s kind of amazing to see how it has grown,” Lowe Vokes said Monday. “The stuff that we get in to be auctioned off is pretty remarkable, too.”

Photos signed by Michael J. Fox from “Back to the Future,” Debbie Reynolds with Gene Kelly from “Singin’ in the Rain” and Grammy-winning pop singer Adele are just a few pop culture autographs listed among the UWJC catalog of auction items.

Meanwhile, sports fans will likely recognize the baseballs signed by Roger Clemons and Yogi Berra, the basketball by Larry Bird, the football by Eli Manning and boxing gloves by Mike Tyson, in addition to other artifacts autographed by Tony Hawk, Dan Marino, George Foreman, Troy Aikman and a hockey stick signed by the entire Chicago Black Hawks team.

This year, Lowe Vokes has placed an emphasis on adding autographs from Iowa-born celebrities and athletes like Brandon Routh of “Superman Returns,” Jason Momoa of “Justice League” and “Game of Thrones,” professional golfer Zach Johnson and “The Duke” himself, John Wayne. One of the more unique Iowa-related items is a letter signed by Herbert Hoover, who served as the 31st President of the United Sates.

“It’s just really neat to see that kind of collection,” she said. “It’s almost like walking into a museum, really. Because you’re seeing all these artifacts from all these different folks. You have used batting gloves, a script and a poster signed. It’s kind of neat because you can find ties with so many of these things.”

Being the one in charge of collecting the items, Lowe Vokes can’t help but feel like she’s giving away Christmas presents. But the autograph collector is content with spreading the joy and taking part in the fundraising effort for UWJC. The autograph auction, she said, accumulates about five percent of the organization’s total goal for the year.

“People have fun and get caught up in the excitement of bidding and supporting the United Way, which I love to see,” Lowe Vokes said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com