BRISTOL, R.I. – The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the sixth annual RWU Hawks Athlete Date Auction on Monday, raising $1,400 for Making Roots' annual Camp Hope program for the summer of 2013.
All 20 varsity teams participated in the event by placing two of their athletes to be auctioned off to all RWU students and other athletes in attendance. The auction was organized by SAAC members Emily Lebowitz and Olivia Hilton, and the evening's festivities were hosted by Lenny Carlucci.
“I have helped out in the past with this event, but this was the first year I was given full reigns, and it was exciting,” said Hilton. “We just wanted to make it as fun as possible and this year was so much better than in the past with athlete involvement.”
Each of the 40 Hawk dates got the chance to strut their stuff down the runway to music they had chosen with the event's DJ Scotty P, until they were introduced to the audience by Carlucci. Athletes gave a quick profile about themselves including hobbies and fun facts to appeal to potential bidders.
“I loved being the MC of the date auction because it is a whole ton of fun,” stated Carlucci. “The date auction gives everybody a little chance to be a celebrity, which is a blast.”
In years past, the SAAC committee has planned the date auction with teams putting up as many as five athletes for bidding. This year, organizers Hilton and Lebowitz decided to cut down the number of entries to one underclassman and one upperclassman per team.
“It seemed to run so much smoother than it has in the past. We had only two athletes from each team, but with that, we started the bidding higher at $20 to help bring in better donations than lower bids,” said Hilton.
After each individual was given a proper introduction to the potential buyers, the bidding frenzy began over each athlete. Some bidders spared no expense to try and win a date with the auctioned RWU athletes as some sold for as much as $90.
“I think the date auction was a great way to bring the entire athletic department together and it supports a great cause,” said senior and Softball auctionee Lauren Tierney.
All proceeds collected from the auction went towards the Making Roots Organization and providing recreational activities for the organization's Camp Hope program. Camp Hope is an annual Summer Camp for over 170 Haitian children, ages 6-15, with the mission of bringing holistic transformation to the youth through sports and arts. The non-profit organization was created by RWU class of 2005 graduate and former Women's Soccer player Leah Beidler.
“'As a 2005 RWU Women's Soccer alumna, it is amazing to be supported by my university,” said Beidler. “Making Roots is so grateful for the partnership with RWU Athletic Department and this fun and special tradition,”
It seems that SAAC was successful in not only revamping the 6th annual SAAC Date Auction, but also generating enough support to raise a substantial donation.
“Our athletics department could be so much closer if we had more events like this, but this is an awesome start,” said Carlucci. “I think it is safe to say that this years was one of the best in quite a while.”
The Roger Williams Athletic Department would like to thank the entire Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, especially co-chairs Emily Lebowitz and Olivia Hilton for organizing a successful night of fun for the entire RWU community.
