Quarter auction - a great time!

On Friday, June 25, we had the privilege to attend a quarter auction and bake sale, the purpose of which was to raise money to help bring Lucy home. The auction was the brainchild of Wendy Farber and Vicki Stowe. It was held in the family life building of Northside Baptist Church, which is a great place for families to hang out and have fun.

This was our first time attending a quarter auction, and it turned out to be a blast. The concept was a little foreign to us until it started. Here's how it worked:

For folks to participate in the auction, they would buy a numbered paddle for $5 each (you can buy more than one). Participants would sit at a table where there would be a bowl in the middle for the quarter bids. For each item, people would be able to bid as many times as they had paddles. The bid amounts were 1 quarter for items worth up to $25, 2 quarters for items worth $26-$50, 3 quarters for items worth $51-$75, etc. There were many, many prizes donated by many individuals and companies (thank you so much!). When an item was announced along with its value, those interested in bidding would make the necessary quarter bid and hold up their paddle(s). A number was drawn out of a bucket and if it matched one of the raised paddles, that person won the prize. If the number drawn belonged to someone who chose not to bid on that particular item, another number would be drawn until someone won.

The money generated from the sale of the paddles went to the cause (bringing Lucy home). The quarters bid on items go to those individuals/vendors who donated the items. At night's end, those individuals/vendors can choose to either keep the money to defray their costs or donate all or a portion of it to the cause. Thankfully, we had so many who chose to donate their quarters to Lucy's cause.

In addition to the auction, there were bake sale items available for purchase, as well as food items and drinks at the snack bar. When the smoke cleared, the evening resulted in a little over $2,300 raised towards Lucy's adoption! We praise the Lord for that and for all those who came and helped.

It would be impossible to thank everyone who made the evening such a success. Thanks to Wendy and Vicki for coordinating the whole event; to Tammy Bennett and Northside BC for providing the venue; to many of Christy's relatives who drove down from Wilson to man the snack bar; to all of the vendors and individuals who donated prizes; to John Zino for emceeing the 2-hour auction; and to everyone else who came and participated in one way or another. It was such a fun time and great concept that it may become an annual event once A Sea of Hope becomes an official organization. We are so thankful to God for so many friends and family members who support adoption and, in particular, bringing Lucy home.

BTW, hopefully photos of the auction will be posted later.