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Friday, March 29, 2024

New features, old friends gather for Hope from Helen’s tenth

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Ten years ago Tony Butler asked a few friends to come together in support of his -mother’s battle with cancer and ten years later the Hope from Helen nonprofit charity is still going strong.

Each year Hope from Helen donates tens of thousands of dollars to local charities and families in need, and the organization’s largest fundraising event, the Hope from Helen Surf Silent Auction, is set for Friday, Dec. 5., at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort.

While many regular patrons of the event may look forward to rubbing shoulders in the busy silent auction room every year, the flow of the event will be more spread out with the addition of a large outdoor heated tent.

“We are just trying to help with the flow of the event and make it a lot more enjoyable for people to meander through and not feel so congested,” Butler said. “It is going to be crowded regardless but we are just going to try to make it a little better for everyone.”

In addition to outdoor heaters, live music from The Midatlantic, an eclectic, alternative/ bluegrass band, an outdoor beverage station and free tacos from Tower 7 Baja Grill will help draw patrons outside.

Silent auction bidding this year will be completely digitized through the event’s BidPal website and downloadable application. Those who want to bid on the hundreds of items up for auction can register at the event’s BidPal site beforehand and enter their credit card information. Butler said the new system would help minimize the amount of time people spend in the check-out line and also help his team process transactions.

“The reason for that is to try to clean up the auction area and present the auction items better,” he said. “It will make it a lot easier for people to not have to fight for things at the last minute or hover over items.”

Bidders can watch their items through the BidPal app and receive notifications if someone outbids them.

With two weeks left to go Butler said around 160 items have been donated for the auction, which is the most he has received that early before the night of the event. Auction items range from surfboards and standup paddleboards to original artwork, photography, jewelry and clothing.

“This year I would really love to see us break $50,000 that night,” Butler said. “I’m hoping there will be some emotional ties to it being the 10th year. We are really looking forward to making this one the biggest and best ever.”

This year’s event will also be an emotional one for Butler as it will be the first Hope from Helen surf silent auction without his father Arthur in attendance after he died in October.

“He could talk to anyone and he knew no strangers,” Butler said of his father. “A lot of people just remembered him from the very first one and they would come up to him every year. That made me proud seeing how many people came up to talk to him and he was always so proud of everything we are doing.”

With the funds raised Butler said Hope from Helen will continue to contribute to its staple charities as well as donate funds to a few local families with family members fighting serious illnesses.

For more information and to check out the ever-growing list of auction items, visit
www.wblivesurf.com and click on the Hope from Helen banner.

email [email protected]

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