Charity Quilt Auction

Our quilt guild holds a charity auction each year to raise money for designated charity organizations.  I actually started this tradition in 2000 when I was vice president of the guild.  In our guild the vice president is in charge of all of the quilt guild charitable giving activities.  That year we delivered 300+ baby quilts to local organizations, did the Festival of Trees raffle quilt, did a smaller lap quilt for another organization and I initiated the annual quilt auction.  We had a guild member pass away earlier in the year and her family was overwhelmed with how to deal with her quilting stuff.  We decided to put together a few things into saleable lots and have an auction with the proceeds going to a choice of breast cancer foundation or local hospice charity.

That first year we raised approx $10,000.  The following year we nearly doubled the proceeds as many other small groups assembled baskets and quilts for the auction.  Those first few years, me and another gal shared the auctioneer responsibilities.  Through the years, each vice president put their own influence on the auction, by choosing different charities, or having different aucitioneers, adding a swap meet \ garage sale component etc.   Every auction has been a success ranging in proceeds from 10K-25K in charitable donations each year.  I estimate the guild has generated over $250,000 just with this yearly event.

Each year our small group puts together an auction donation.  Some years we have done complete quilts, other years we have done theme baskets, sometimes quilt related sometime not.  This year we did a gardening theme.  Each person in our small group was assigned a block and had to make 6 using a consistent background and color palette.  Here are my blocks:

They got added to a stack of blocks along with everything else in this garden themed container.  I think the final sale price of this was around $250.

This year and last I was asked to be the auctioneer.  Here I am in action with my friend Jill holding the item up for display: 

The amounts collected were:
Mall in the Hall: $  3,158.74
Auction :           $10,842.00
Grand Total:     $14,000.74
 

The funds were donated to the following organizations:
American Heart Association    $ 4,449.54
Breast Cancer Research        $ 1,450.00

Komen                                     $ 3,800.70

Arthritis Foundation                  $ 4,300.50

GRAND TOTAL                       $14,000.74

Not bad for a few hours of work!  I am always amazed at the generosity and caring spirit of this guild.