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CSC bachelor auction sets fundraising record

By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: May 27, 2009

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but it would appear beefcake is an ever more valuable commodity, too.

The seventh annual Community Service Council Bachelor, Baskets and Services Auction, presented May 1 by Trinity Regional Rehab, appears to have broken last year's record $18,000 raised, according to event chair Becky Bennett.

"It went really well," Bennett said, adding that figures still weren't final, but it was safe to say the event took in around $19,000.

The Community Service Council of West Pasco was established 30 years ago as a means of allowing West Pasco businesses and individuals to enrich the community through networking, education and special projects. The organization holds business expos and scholarship programs.

In addition, it conducts the "Operation Shoe Box" program, which sends gifts to troops overseas, and holds numerous special events to raise money to support area nonprofit organizations.

The yearly Bachelor, Baskets and Services Auction is the CSC's most anticipated event, and it grows every year. About 250 guests were at this year's event, held at the Seven Springs Golf and Country Club.

Every year, they tinker a bit to improve the event, Bennett said, and this year's adjustments look to have paid off. The event consists of several fundraising components - a "Chinese auction" for gift baskets, an auction for service packages and a 50/50 raffle. Of course, the bachelor auction is the highlight of the evening.

This year, Bennett said, the stage was placed in the middle of the room - all the better for the bidders to check out the goods. And they extended the beginning of the evening when guests could mingle and get acquainted with the gentlemen who agreed to put themselves up on the block.

While the bachelors have always been the highlight of the event, Bennett said, this is the first time they have accounted for the highest portion of the evening's proceeds. The 12 bachelors - and the date packages attached - fetched a collective $4,145, the highest going for $700.

In addition to the bachelors, the 11 service items up for auction, including a diamond and ruby ring, brought in about $3,600.

Bennett also wanted to acknowledge the many corporate sponsors who make the auction possible: Presenting sponsor Trinity Regional Rehab; bar sponsor Suncoast Clinical research; DJ sponsor Rotary Club of Keystone Sunrise; "platinum" sponsors Apollo Window Tinting & Graphics, Deanna's Bridal & Tux, Fusion Healthcare, Minuteman Press; "gold" sponsor Gulfside Regional Hospice; "silver" sponsors Fulton Insurance Group, Hernando-Pasco Hospice, Sunshine Christian Home; "bronze" sponsors Beltone Hearing Center, Braybrook Assisted Living Facility, "Buzz the Barley's," Dr. Sherrie Teddy - Family Eye Care, Fitzgerald's Irish Pub, Glen Oaks, Guqqi Acupuncture and Wellness Center, In Home Medical, Jennifer Gardens, Law Firm of Scott McPherson, P.A. Mobility Solutions, Pasco Kids First, Republic Bank, Tina Shelton, TLC Wheelchair Transport, Toppers, Unique Awards, West Pasco Toastmasters, Women to Women; and "red rose" sponsors ASAP Pest Control, Bayshore Health Services and Response Link.

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