Date auction raises funds for cancer research

Autumn Gilliam

Contributing Writer

A date auction was held Friday in the University Student Commons by the VCU Black Student Union to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The auction raised more than $250.

Auction winners received pink roses and chocolate kisses. The newly matched couples will be going on BSU-arranged dates this week.

“There were quite a few attractive young men up for auction,” sophomore Tori Webb said. “I ended up bidding quite a few times. I never won though.”

The highest purchase price of the night was for freshman Alex Stevens. He went for $27.

About 24 contestants volunteered to be auctioned off including Junior Armand Johnston.

“I chose to participate in this event to help those less fortunate. I’m very blessed to be in good health, so this is a fun way to give back,” Johnston said.

Freshman Jazmin Tanner said she was sold on coming to this event when she heard it was for cancer research.

“My little cousin has cancer and I do marathons all the time to raise money for it,” Tanner said. “Plus what could be better than getting support for cancer research and getting a date?”

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer affects one in three people and is responsible for 23 percent of deaths in the United States.

The auction also drew students from Virginia State University in Petersburg. VSU junior Raheem Sanders came with his fraternity brothers.

“Being a VSU student, I really don’t come here much but being around a group of positive African Americans working toward a good cause is something worth traveling to support,” Sanders said.

For the purpose of the auction, a 10-to-1 system was used. Each dollar donated was exchanged for $10 of fake bidding money.

The event began with the introduction of all of the contestants. Each contestant’s bio was read and his or her beginning bid price was set at $10.

BSU President Maani Stewart said he was very pleased with the results of the fundraiser and is confident that BSU will host more like it in the future.

“We wanted to create an entertaining opportunity for people to attend, while giving back. I think we achieved that,” Steward said. “It was a big success, most of the people I talked to (afterward) said they really enjoyed it and were glad they could contribute.”

BSU Treasurer Ridge Stanislas also helped organize the event.

“Even though it wasn’t as much as I would have liked us to raise, BSU put a lot of work into raising that amount,” Stanislas said. “We’re not just raising money for a good cause; we’re making valuable connections.”

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply