The mission of the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington is building hope and a brighter future for children and their families. With their new virtual auction fundraising initiative, however, the Foundation is hoping to build excitement with community supporters who love a competitive shopping experience!
Like many charitable organizations, the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington had relied heavily on the fundraising benefits of their annual Around the World Gala, a marquee event in Guelph for the past 15 years. Proceeds from that event helped to fund vital programming at the Foundation. With Covid-19 restrictions causing the cancellation of most public events, the Foundation had to take proactive steps to ensure they had a replacement fundraiser ready to roll! The first step of this was an outdoor event - Patio for a Purpose back in August, and now an online auction!
“Like many non-profits, we needed to find new, and safe ways to engage our supporters,” said Children’s Foundation CEO, Emma Rogers. “The gala was one of the key fundraisers to support all of our programs, and the auction is usually a big part of that. The virtual auction is a way to bring a slice of the gala home. We thought this is a great way to engage the community, raise some funds for the Children’s Foundation and have some fun while doing it!”
Rather than hosting an actual in-person auction, this year’s event will be conducted virtually, with all interested parties able to browse and bid for a variety of auction items on-line. While Rogers concedes the social aspect of the gala will be missed, she’s excited that the virtual aspect of the auction will make it accessible to more people than ever before.
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“I do think people will miss the gala experience,” she said. “Typically there are a lot of galas hosted in the area. The fact that we’re bringing the auction experience right into people’s homes this year is what gives this event its unique twist.”
As always, the Children’s Foundation relies heavily on the generous support of the community to ensure the auction ledger is filled with a wide variety of merchandise.
“All our auction items are donated by various business and community partners,” said Rogers. “Some of them are previous auction donors and some of them will be new donors who have come on board this year. We’ve got everything from appliance to travel to pampering packages. There will be a wide variety of items available.”
The first Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington Virtual Auction, co-presented by Winmar Property Restoration Specialists takes place October 22nd through the 28th. Participants can enjoy the thrills that accompany competitive bidding at the auction. With the Foundation celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021, Rogers is hopeful the auction builds on the success of the gala to ensure they can fulfill their mandate in the community.
“We have definitely seen through this pandemic the need to support children and youth in our community has drastically increased. We exist to break the cycle of poverty and we do that by uplifting children and connecting them with opportunities to break that cycle. It’s really important for us to find a new way to raise funds to ensure we can assist all children in the community in a time when they need it more than ever.”
The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington would like to thank Winmar Property Restoration Specialists for partnering on this exciting new fundraiser, and continuing to help support the children and youth in our community.
To help a child in need today, place your bid at the Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington Vitrual Silent Auction before October 28!
For more information, visit www.childrensfoundation.org.