MHCC ANNUAL AUCTION TO BE HELD ONLINE

COVID-19 scrubbed the annual MHCC Foundation Dinner and Auction scheduled to take place on April 25 in the Yoshida Event Center at MHCC.

But the important fundraising event will carry on, changed to an online auction the last weekend in May.

This will provide participants “the opportunity to bid on several auction items and to donate through a ‘paddle raise’. The paddle raise allows attendees to donate a specific cash donation,” said Al Sigala, executive director of development and the MHCC District communications division, and of the Foundation.

The planned “Heroes for Education” online auction will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29, and continue through 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 31.

“In the past we’ve (had) single donations ranging from $50 to $30,000,” said Sigala. It’s hoped some large donations are still made.

This auction primarily raises money for student scholarships and equipment for classrooms at Mt. Hood. In addition, auction donations will also be used for emergency funds for MHCC students.

The main fundraising for the Dinner/Auction event is sponsorships by community donors, meantime. Between those sponsorships and the connected auction, the Foundation raised $314,000 at the 2019 Sneaker Ball Auction and Dinner.

Jacob Weston, chair of the auction committee, and several other Foundation board members remained involved in the coordination of this event, Sigala said. Judi Charman, development officer for the MHCC Foundation “who really runs the event, helps guide the board in this effort,” he added.

It’s a committed group effort to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 to support Mt. Hood students, said Sigala.

“We encourage students to help spread the word about the online auction to encourage anyone who wants to help, (and) the opportunity to pitch in. We will provide exact details of how people can take part closer to the event,” he said.

In the meantime, conventional online donations may still be made at any time. See: mhcc.edu/foundation