SMOKEY POINT — Pirate-wear was the order of the evening at the Medallion Hotel in Smokey Point, during Soroptimist International of Marysville’s annual fundraising auction on Saturday, Oct. 26, which lived up to its billing of “Bounty of Treasures” by yielding significant funds for the community service organization’s programs.
Not only did this year’s auction draw 175 attendees, as opposed to the 153 who attended last year’s event, but it also generated $34,000 in profit, which Marysville Soroptimist Board member Elaine Hanson reported not only topped last year’s number of $31,000, but also exceeded each of the previous years that this fundraiser has run.
Hanson cited the extra space afforded by the Baker Room, one floor up from the event’s ground-level dining room, as providing far more flexibility for the silent auction to grow this year, and joined event chair Nancy Maurer in praising the students of Marysville Getchell High School for their volunteer work throughout the night.
“We had an incredible group of students to assist us in multiple ways,” Hanson said. “Their help in bagging our items was priceless. The Baker Room really gave us so much more space to display the items and move around. The early invoices worked well to avoid that line-up.”
Hanson and Maurer both cited the aid of Dr. Kim Kron in sponsoring the pirate-themed “Treasure Hunt,” but took care to express their appreciation to all the sponsors who contributed.
“We want to thank Marysville Printing for donating the color printing of our catalogs, and Maurice King, who volunteered to design and operate our auction data entry program, as well as the talented staff of the Medallion Hotel,” Maurer said. “We also had several cash donors and 12 local business sponsors, and our auctioneer, Ian Lindsay, was a huge hit.”
Soroptimist International of Marysville’s 44 members coordinated their hectic and occasionally conflicting schedules to prepare the annual auction, and Hanson and Maurer agreed that the event benefitted from the diversity of their skill-sets and their shared commitment to the cause.
“Working with such a large group has its challenges, but we are all invested in making this a successful fundraiser,” Hanson said.
“We all have different backgrounds and talents to bring to the table to pull off this event, year after year,” Maurer said. “It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and the money raised supports our many projects that benefit women, girls and families in our community. We’re so proud to award scholarships to girls every year, to help them fulfill their dreams, and the scholarship-giving at this year’s auction reached its highest level ever.”
“We’re a diverse group of ladies who want to give back to our community, and are involved in many activities that will improve the lives of the women and children here in Marysville, as well as around the world,” Hanson said.
Looking ahead, Soroptimist International of Marysville is inviting the community to its Tailgating Bunco Party on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Marysville American Legion Post 178 Hall, located at 119 Cedar Ave. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite team jerseys for the dinner and social at 5:30 p.m., followed by the games themselves at 6:15 p.m., for an admission fee of $20 each.
For more information about Soroptimist International of Marysville, which recently marked three decades of service in the local community, log onto its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SIMarysville.
