Chicopee Boys & Girls Club prepares for auction

Date: 9/22/2009

By Lori Szepelak

Correspondent



CHICOPEE -- Bidding on line is a new feature this fall for the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee's fifth annual Charity Auction slated for Oct. 2.

While visiting www.bgcchicopee.cmarket.com, a host of categories neatly organizes auction items so that visitors can quickly access the types of items they are interested in bidding on. Categories range from auto, books, CD's, DVD's and games, to electronics, food and gourmet items, golf and sports gear and health and fitness. In addition, auction items can be found under titles including home, lawn and garden, memorabilia, services, spa and beauty, tickets for entertainment and sporting events, toys, travel and unique experiences.

The on line auction runs through Oct. 1 with the live event taking place on Oct. 2. Most of the items on the Web site will be carried over to the live/silent auction on Oct. 2 beginning at 6 p.m. in the club's gymnasium on Meadow Street.

"Auction items range from exotic vacation getaways to donated items guaranteed to delight and surprise," Cecile Larose, development director, Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, said during a lunchtime interview with Reminder Publications.

Both Larose and Betsy Daly, executive director, thanked their major sponsors Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, PeoplesBank, Avery Dennison, Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc., Westover Animal Clinic, and Reminder Publications, for their ongoing support to ensure programming for children in the Greater Chicopee area.

Both women hope to raise $20,000 from the charity auction which features free admission and is open to the public.

A mini "Taste of Chicopee" featuring Hamel's Catering/Summit View of Holyoke, the Castle of Knights and Panera Bread, both of Chicopee, will also be a highlight of the evening benefit. A cash bar will also be provided.

At press time, more than 120 items have been donated, including gift certificates to area restaurants, sporting event tickets, jewelry, golfers' packages, fitness club memberships, a year's worth of ice cream, and a Tom Brady hand signed official full-size helmet with deluxe display case. Big ticket items include whitewater rafting in Maine, two tickets for a sunset sail aboard an America's Cup yacht in Newport, R.I., and a five/day, four-night escape to Cancun, Mexico. Celebrity items also available range from a David Ortiz hand signed Red Sox shadowbox or official Red Sox game jersey, to a Michael Phelps hand signed and framed "8 Gold Medals" oversized "Sports Illustrated" cover poster or Derek Jeter hand signed official Major League baseball protected and preserved in a professionally designed museum quality shadowbox.

The charity auction begins at 6 p.m. and includes both a silent and live auction. Individuals purchasing items may pay with cash, check, Mastercard or Visa. Proceeds raised from the auction will go toward programming at the club.

Item donations are still being accepted and a variety of sponsorship levels are available.

For more information on the auction, contact Lerose at 206-4110.

"We have seen a trickle-down effect due to the economic downturn," Daly said, adding, "The club is grateful for all the support it receives."