Bidders were able to view the items on display and use their smartphones to bid on various items at the touch of a button. Each item was donated by restaurants, businesses and individuals in the community, and all money raised went directly to helping the crisis center. The event raised $103,000 in 2014.
Orange County Rape Crisis Center’s holiday auction originally began as a potluck fundraiser at the homes of board members.
Since its inception, the event has grown to include a silent auction, a live auction and a dessert auction. The event grew to over 300 guests, volunteers, staff and a keynote speaker, Shamecca Bryant, executive director of the center, said in an email.
“Although the event has changed over the years, people continue to attend as a way to come together in support of our work to stop sexual violence,” Bryant said.
Keynote speaker Anu Kumar pointed out that guests didn’t just come together for the auction or the desserts but came together to raise awareness of sexual violence against women and how to change that.
“This is the one serious part of the evening,” Kumar said of her speech.
She talked about her work with women and girls as executive vice president at Ipas, an organization dedicated to helping women gain access to safe reproductive care.
“The United Nations estimates that one-third of women in the world will have experienced violence or sexual harassment in their lifetime,” Kumar said.
