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Hope from Helen draws largest crowd

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Between 750-1,000 people shuffled through the 10th annual Hope from Helen Surf Silent Auction at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort Friday, Dec. 5. The 2014 edition of the annual community charity fundraiser raised around $44,000, just shy of the 2010 benchmark year of $45,000.

Tony Butler, Hope from Helen nonprofit founder, said the 290 items accumulated for the silent auction were the most items the event has ever auctioned. Of those 290 only 17 items were not bid on and those items will be sold in a fire sale setting to add to the event’s fundraising total.

The item that drew the highest bid was a George Pocheptsov original painting entitled “Wings of Summer” at $1,500; the second highest at $1,000 was a week’s stay in a Puerto Rican villa. An autographed Joel Tudor surfboard fin was the most popular item of the silent auction with more than 20 total bids.

Considering the size of the crowd, amount of silent auction items, online bidding system, free Tower 7 buffet, live entertainment from The Midatlantic bluegrass band, increased outdoor space and the amount of funds raised, Butler said it was the best Hope from Helen yet.

“The mobile bidding made everything so much easier and it probably cut two to three months worth of work that we usually have to do after the event,” Butler said. “I am just surprised that so many people continue to come out and it has truly become a community event with the wide demographic of people in attendance.”

With the online and mobile BidPal bidding system Butler said he now has a trove of statistics and data about which items were the most popular. Butler said he and his team would use that data to find the items that can raise even more funds for their charities in 2015.

In addition to the charities Hope from Helen regularly supports like Life Rolls On, the New Hanover County Humane Society, the American Cancer Society and the Surfrider Foundation, Butler said his organization has chosen three local families that will receive portions of the funds raised.

“We have three local families we are focusing on that will be getting a nice surprise before Christmas and they have no idea,” Butler said. “That is really the fun part of all this.”

For more information about the fire sale of the leftover items from the silent auction, check the Hope from Helen Facebook page.

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