Since 2001, the Manheim Central Foundation for Educational Enrichment (MCFEE) has awarded more than $1.4 million in teacher grants, providing students with resources such as facility dogs and 3D printers. The organization raises the bulk of its funds through its annual auction. This year, the MCFEE 4 Kids Virtual Auction will be held from Wednesday, April 28, through Saturday, May 1.
"This is our 18th year doing the auction," said Amy Howett, executive director of MCFEE. "It is our signature annual fundraiser, and until COVID, we did it in person, but it was a hybrid model, with high-end items and a live auctioneer along with items people could bid on online."
Last year, the auction switched to be wholly virtual, and Howett said organizers were pleasantly surprised by the results. "We did really, really well last year," she stated. "Our result was just as good as doing it in person."
This year's event will feature more than 200 items, Howett remarked, adding, "It's very convenient. People can bid on their smartphone, their laptop, their iPad. You can bid from your office, at home in bed, wherever you are comfortable." The highest bidder will win the item, and bidders will be notified if they've been outbid. Items will be available for curbside pickup at the Myer's Furniture building, 936 Lancaster Road, Manheim, the week after the auction.
Larger items at the auction will include a Philadelphia package, featuring Phillies tickets and more; a family four pack to Camelback Resort; a gas smoker; a Yeti package and a children's edition Kindle Fire tablet.
"In addition to the bigger items, we have more than 100 gifts cards to local, Lancaster County businesses and restaurants," Howett stated. "We solicited cash donations from our larger donors rather than specific items, and then we put the money toward purchasing items from these smaller local businesses. It was a way for us to give back in a small way after a year when COVID hurt a lot of small businesses."
Howett added that lead sponsors of the auction help to make it a success. "Children's Champion sponsors of this year's event include Buch Family of Funeral Homes, Longenecker's Hardware Co., DDMP Investment Advisors, Lancaster Toyota Nissan, Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction, Ruhl Insurance and Rohrer's Inc.," she stated. "The Children's Hero sponsors include Hess Auction Group and Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates architects."
Although last year's virtual auction was a success and Howett has high hopes for this year, MCFEE hopes to go back to an in-person format next year. "The personal contact is really important, especially when it comes to fundraising," she explained. "Face-to-face matters with fundraising."
Howett encourages anyone to check out the auction, adding that you never know what you might find. "There is something for everyone," she said. "It's a wide variety of stuff, from items for families, for young adults, for older adults, really for anyone. We try to make it fun and have items that people will really enjoy."
For more information on the MCFEE 4 Kids Virtual Auction, visit http://www.mcfee4kids.org.
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