The Boyertown Area YMCA Annual Dutch Charity Auction will be held Saturday, March 14, at the Sunnybrook Ballroom, with proceeds to benefit the YMCA Financial Assistance Program. Doors will open at 5 p.m., live auction to begin at 6:30 p.m.
For more than thirty years the YMCA has hosted the auction in the hopes of raising the funds needed to offer individuals and families alike a five to ninety-five percent discount on YMCA memberships, youth programs and child care. A staple of the Boyertown Area, the YMCA and the programs it offers have been helping people achieve and maintain both physical and social health for years, says Kim Slonaker, YMCA Executive Director. Fundraisers like the Dutch auction are crucial to fulfilling the community’s needs.
While the proceeds raised help to satisfy a very serious need in the community, the event itself has become renowned as a great time and very entertaining. “We have people that have been attending for years and say it is the first thing they mark on their calendar. It is as much a “fun” raiser as it is a fund raiser.” joked Slonaker.
With funny men Jim Davidheiser and Kevin Zimmers returning as auctioneers and more than 600 items up for bid, even those who are outbid should leave with a few laughs. Items to be bid on have in the past ranged from furniture and appliances to gift cards and even in home personal chefs and luncheons. This year is proving no different with so many items being donated, it takes an army of volunteers to catalog all the donations.
Slonaker expressed the Y’s deep appreciation for the continuous support of the Boyertown Community. Although the Y does everything in their power to never turn down a donation, for the sake of organization and the sanity of volunteers, a drop-off deadline of March 9 has been set to ensure all items up for bid have been properly sorted and cataloged.
Free to the public, doors will open at five so folks can take a look around at all the treasures to be had. Those who participate in the silent auction can hope to take their goods home at the end of the evening thanks to a computerized auction program created to speed up the process. Hoping to raise more than thirty thousand dollars, the YMCA hopes welcome back regulars and new faces alike.
For more information on the auction, to make donations or for those interested in joining the YMCA, please visit the Boyertown Area YMCA website or call 610-369-9622.