The 15th Annual Bidding Bonanza changed venues to the Sheldon Hall Ballroom, which helped make it the most successful auction yet, said Bonanza organizers.
The event was Candyland themed and some of the proceeds will go toward a new scholarship.
Previously, the bidding bonanza had been held inside Johnson Hall, but it has been moved to the Sheldon Hall ballroom to give the over 200 attendees extra space.
“Prior to this it was held in the Johnson Hall main lounge,,” said Kelly Richards third-year co-chair and resident mentor.
“It really came down to the staff to taking a theme, transforming the room and cramming in as many people as possible,” Richards said.
Because it was held in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom, it was able to hold more people from a different demographic. These included sponsors and other campus members outside of Johnson, which helped double event proceeds.
Between the live, silent and Chinese auctions, the event raised almost $4,800. Auctioned items included a signed New York Giants football and a signed Laker goalie stick.
“We took lot of a risks,” Richards said. These risks included moving the venue and adding both a Chinese auction and silent auction.
“It wasn’t about Johnson Hall anymore. It was about ‘how can we broaden this event to other departments on campus,’” said Connor Harrington, the chair of correspondence and resident mentor.
There were a variety of different gift baskets available.
“Residents create baskets with their friends as their contributions to the event,” Richards said. “We had one that was a rave basket, a chocoholic basket that had anything that you can think of that was chocolate.”
The money that was raised will be used to start a Johnson Hall scholarship for residents who demonstrate community involvement and will also help support Johnson Hall RMs who move in early.
“Something really special about this year is we started the Johnson Hall Scholarship Fund,” Harrington said. “It’s awarded to a current student in Johnson Hall who demonstrates their investment in the community with community service as well as the drive for academic success.”
There are some requirements and an application, which will be due within the next few weeks. The recipient will receive the scholarship toward next semester’s tuition.
Richards and Harrington want to make sure the scholarship isn’t a one-off, but rather will be available annually.
