Department of Athletics to host auction

Annual event to raise money for athletic scholarships, special building projects

Community members with a desire to make a contribution to Georgia College athletics will have a chance this weekend, as the 13th annual Athletic Auction will be held April 9 at 6 p.m. in the Centennial Center.

The event, with the theme “Blue and Green: That’s Our Team,” is the main fundraiser of the year the department puts on and is used to help raise all the money for athletic scholarships and other special building projects.

There will be both a silent auction and a traditional live auction.

Tickets are $100 a couple and $500 a table.

With the ticket, guests will have dinner, an open bar and access to all of the auction items.

They will also have chance to participate in a $10,000 raffle.

“It’s a fun night. You get everybody out there, and you put a carpet on the gym floor just like a banquet style facility,” said Sports Information Director Al Weston. “Its impact is gigantic. The money that we use for this goes directly to scholarships. We utilize this event to really power what we bring to that table in terms of sustainability.”

The auction items are all donated from community members, parents of student athletes or whatever is available according to Weston.

“We’ve had everything from a trip to Costa Rica to an air conditioning unit for your home, and then little stuff like gift certificates to restaurants,” Weston said. “We’ve got two little working traffic lights that might be cool for someone to put in their apartment or home. We’ve had a lot of trips and vacations in the past.”

In the past, the department has sold more than 300 tickets to the event.

Weston said they are expecting a possible lower total this year.

“It varies considerably. With the economy being what it is, we’re expecting to be a little down this year,” Weston said. “We’re trying to continue to push it along, but we know people are a little strapped for cash this year. But it is an event that will fill up that gym floor for sure.”

Athletic Director Wendell Staton said the auction will be a tremendous benefit to the school and well worth the generosity of the community members.

“It’s a great night for the community to gather and show their support to Georgia College athletics. Their support matters to all of our student athletes and makes a huge difference in their lives,” Staton said. “They are investing in excellence. Our student athletes have won back-to-back Commissioner’s Cups and have had at least a 3.0 GPA four out of the last five years.”

Posted by Scotty Thompson on Apr 7 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.