24 Bethel’s charity auction raised over $5,000 in one day. All the proceeds go to TVT – The Village Trust which helps villages, specifically women and children, overcome poverty, disease, illiteracy and ignorance through education and other self-sustaining avenues. As a long-term partner with TVT, Bethel seeks to make an impact in the wake of such global need. “What an overwhelming response by the Bethel Community to support a cause that is so near and dear to the hearts of our very own students!” shared International Student’s Coordinator Lori Gonzalez. “ At the beginning of the chapel service, three of Bethel’s international students explained the charity, offering personal insight from their countries of origin. One of these students, Irene Kirathi, said she was challenged to always put others’ needs before her own. “I can’t express with words how it means to me because I was overwhelmed with the passionate heart of giving from the Bethel Community,” shared Kirathi. After this, it was anything but a normal chapel atmosphere, as auctioneer Phil Hahn took the stage and buzz of bidding began with a bed and breakfast at President Cramer’s lake house. Professor Schmidt stole this treat for a mere $250 (last year it went for nearly double the price). “The Cramer’s are amazing hosts,” expressed Schmidt. “Guaranteed fun!” Schmidt was also one of the few bidders to land two items. He paid $100 for his other purchase of a cup of coffee a day at Sufficient Grounds for a year. “It’s a tradition for me to win this at the auction,” stated Schmidt. “All I want is coffee. No room for cream.” Bid-assistants were positioned throughout the auditorium to aid in identifying the bidders, and Gonzalez along with Vice President Dennis Engbrecht hosted the “show”. The live auction included other items like the chance to plan a worship set for chapel, a BBQ dinner and studio visit to Visual Art Department Chair Chris Stackowicz’s, four all-access passes to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and an autographed Justin Masterson Indians Jersey, bought by 2006 Bethel Grad Erica Guevara. “My husband played baseball at Bethel with Justin and he’s a big Cleveland Indians fan,” Guevara shared. “Marcel has grand plans to turn our basement into a baseball man cave. I thought the jersey would be really special for him to have.” Although her husband called Guevara a “crazy woman” for the amount she paid, it meant a lot to him. Plus, Guevara said the cost is worth the number of women in Kenya who will benefit. Junior Zachariah Dillar took the bid at $250 for four tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He plans to use the tickets as a chance to bond with his Co-RA’s and RD over the summer. Among other live-auction items were 4 dozen chocolate-chip cookies a week for the next five weeks, and a crowd favorite: feeder hogs. Yes, two live pigs were auctioned in Bethel’s Everest-Rohrer Chapel. Only one showed his face though and appeared to be napping. A junior Biblical Studies major, Dustin Heath, took the bid at $170. “As silly as it sounds, I walked into chapel pig-bound, ready to give for a cause not my own,” recounted Heath. “Currently, Piggy is locked downstairs in the Oakwood Slater hall basement. I’ve been taking good care of it: I feed it DC food, flush its droppings in the 1st floor toilets, and you might even catch me walking it around sometime.” A silent auction along with the live auction went on throughout the day. Included in the silent auction were items like Bethel sportswear, Red Lobster dinner for 2 with Engbrecht, guitar lessons with Tuckey RD Janelle Crotser, and dinner at the house of Women’s Basketball Coach Jody Martinez. This is Bethel’s third time undertaking such a fundraiser, and the 2011 event achieved the highest earnings of the three auctions. “It was a great time for all,” shared Gonzalez. “I think Dennis and I are the next Regis and Kelly.”
Print
