Eighty-six. 486. $414. $8,671. Put these numbers together, and they add up to another successful Meadowlark Hills benefit auction. On Saturday, Sept. 10, auctioneer Vern Gannon and his staff sold 486 items/groups of items for $8,671 in merchandise. Add the $414 of revenue generated at the Auction Café, and the event total is slightly more than $9000! The event was held in the Utopia Room at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, a larger space than our 2015 location (Pottorf Hall).

Items prompting intense bidding from 86 registered participants included an oak bedroom set donated by the family of the late Margaret Walker; a Friends of Beach Museum of Art print by Oscar Larmar; an adjustable bed and a teak buffet donated by resident Jane Westfall; several washer/dryer sets, and a cast iron Fido bank donated by the late Lincoln Deihl, which was pictured in a previous Messenger. 
   

The number of bidders was 22 fewer than in 2015, but the number of auction items and revenue generated from those items and food sales topped last year’s totals.

   My request for jewelry was answered in a big way! We ended up with two eight-foot tables loaded with necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and earrings. Most was costume jewelry, but several gold and silver pieces, as well as some real pearls, gemstones and diamonds attracted collectors who carefully examined the items with magnifying glasses prior to the auction’s start. The highest-selling piece was a gold and diamond brooch that brought $375. The jewelry contributed about $1900 to the day’s total.

Additional good news is that expenses for this year’s sale were significantly lower than last year’s, so more of the proceeds will go toward our Good Samaritan Fund. The fund helps to support residents in our healthcare households who have outlived their financial resources.

Many are to thank for helping to ensure a positive outcome. Once again, Pat Callaghan and Gannon Auctions donated their services. Callaghan began loading trailers with furniture on Thursday, Sept. 8, in order to bring it into the church on Friday. Vern Gannon, and his wife, Sherri, also were on hand several hours on Friday to oversee the arrangement of the items at the church before returning early on Saturday. 

Five residents who attend St. Thomas More made a donation to Meadowlark Hills Foundation so that we would be able to give the church a monetary gift for the use of the Utopia Room. The church’s maintenance staff set up the space with tables and chairs and swept up afterward, so this gift is well-deserved. 

Diamond Real Estate Management allows us to use two units at Amherst Self-Storage free of charge so that we may store items from one auction to the next. As previously reported, Board of Trustees chair Fred Borck allowed us to store items at the former Orschlen building when we filled up our complementary units at Amherst.  

I’d like to say hip, hip hooray to the residents, staff and others who helped prior to, during and after the auction. They collected, sorted and cleaned donations, loaded and unloaded auction items, removed trash, worked at the Auction Cafe, or helped buyers load furniture into vehicles. Please join me in thanking:

Lonnie Baker and his daughter, Kierstin, Cam and Jean Beatty, Sylvia Campbell, Carla Cranmer, Lois Deyoe, Sandra Emley, Shirley Escamilla, Polly Ferrell, Mary Harness, Frances Holcombe, Sue Hunt, Magye Loya, Greg Lund, Kim O’Donnell, Jayme Minton, Pat Murray, Janice Parsons, Tracy Musselman, Chris Nelson, Esther Sobering, Monte Spiller, and Kinzie Jo Nelson. A few other residents loaned us their over-the-door hooks for the display of wreaths and artwork. Thank you Mary Lou Gibbs, Alice Howard, Helen Roser and Velma Skidmore.
 

Kudos, also, to Brook Nieheus, who made breakfast burritos, and Prairie Star Restaurant staff who provided barbecue beef and pulled pork, all for the Auction Café. Drivers Rod Anderson, Chris Loehr and Ray Padel transported donations to/from the church or delivered and picked up café items.

Finally, the auction wouldn’t happen without the many who donated their treasures. Thank you for remembering the Foundation during your right-sizing or estate-settling processes, and please keep Meadowlark Hills in mind in the future. Our storage units are now empty, and we’d like to fill them with your antiques and vintage items. All are welcome to donate.

I also greatly appreciate the residents, Passport members and employees who attended the event. If you have questions or comments, please contact me. See you all in 2017! Could our sales top $10,000?!