BUCYRUS—The Bucyrus Rotary Club announced that they are seeking applications from nonprofit organizations interested in partnering on the annual April Auctionfest fundraiser. Partner nonprofits average $30,000 from the event.
The deadline is next Friday, September 15, 2023. The application is available at http://tinyurl.com/AuctionfestApp and can be sent to event organizers Marilyn Strang (mstrang@columbus.rr.com), Terry Gernert (tgernert@embarqmail.com), or Virginia Hammontree (gin-rotary@columbus.rr.com).
Started in 1975, Auctionfest is one of the oldest continuously running fundraising events in Crawford County. The dinner and live auction event typically attracts 200 to 240 attendees and features more than 200 items, including a stay at a beachfront condo and trips. Beginning two weeks before the event, items are featured online for bid before the event at gotoauction.com, but the winning bids are only determined at the live auction event itself. The cost of each ticket is $100, which also provides each attendee with $50 in credit to put toward an auction item itself. Tables of eight are also available. Students from the local Interact clubs serve the dinner.
In 2002, Bucyrus Rotary Club partnered with its first non-profit, the Crawford College Connection, helping them raise $9,000 to fund up to twenty scholarships. Now, the event raises $30,000 for the partner nonprofit, $2,000 for Rotary scholarships, and $14,000 for the club to fund projects. Recent examples of local club projects include supporting Hawaiian wildfire relief, paying for eclipse glasses for all students at Crawford County schools, and supporting the Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad (MESA) program.
The most current information on the Bucyrus Rotary Club can be found at their Facebook page at facebook.com/bucyrusrotary.
