The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has raised more than $1.4 million through its 2013 Scholarship Fund Auctions in Erie and Bradenton, Fla.
This year’s auction total is LECOM’s highest ever and represents an increase of more than $282,000 compared with last year. Every dollar will go toward scholarships for LECOM’s osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and dental students.
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| Chelsea Master and Britny Appel were among the many LECOM students who volunteered for the event. |
The auctions are instrumental in helping LECOM train and educate the next generation of health care professionals; in 2013, the College awarded nearly $2.5 million in scholarships to deserving students.
“The Scholarship Auction is our single biggest fundraising event,” said John Ferretti, D.O., President and CEO of LECOM. “It’s about LECOM helping young men and women who want to dedicate their lives to the health professions. We’re extremely grateful to everyone who helped make the event so successful.”
Nearly 1,000 people attended the auction in Erie, held at the Bayfront Convention Center, while more than 400 attended the Bradenton auction, held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. Attendees had the opportunity to take part in both silent and live auctions that featured a wide range of artwork, collectibles, holiday crafts and decorations, jewelry, electronic devices, event tickets, luxury travel getaways, apparel, gift cards and gift certificates. The auctions were also a dream come true for sports enthusiasts, who bid on memorabilia, ticket packages, autographed jerseys and other rare items, including a Muhammad Ali Collectors’ Edition fountain pen that fetched $1,200 during Erie’s live auction.
A television advertising package got the highest bid in the live auction, at $12,000, followed by the $7,000 that was bid on a two-year lease to a Mazda 3. During the live auction, attendees also bid on items such as a Pandora 14K gold bracelet, two separate cruises and trips to Napa Valley, New York City and the Finger Lakes.
In total, more than 1,100 items were donated to the Erie and Bradenton auctions.
Two former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, offensive lineman Jon Kolb and defensive back Dwayne Woodruff, attended the Erie auction and mingled with guests.
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| Jon Kolb and Dwayne Woodruff, both of whom were part of Super Bowl winning teams with the Pittsburgh Steelers, attended the Erie auction. |
An osteopathic medicine student at LECOM Erie, Christian Mosebach, thanked the attendees and those who supported the event through item donations or sponsorships.
“As students, we share a common vision: to be the most compassionate, knowledgeable and respected health care professionals possible,” said Mosebach, who spoke on behalf of his fellow scholarship recipients. “Because of your help, our vision will become a reality.
“Your support of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has helped us, as students, endure the challenges of our journey, which at times seems long and arduous, but which we know will bring many rewards,” he added. “On behalf of previous LECOM student scholarship recipients, we would like to offer you our heartfelt gratitude… you are investing in LECOM and its students as well as in the future of health care.”
Nicholas Bottaro and Aliza Ali, both second-year medical students, thanked the guests at the LECOM Bradenton auction for their support of student scholarships. “Without you, our vision of purpose may never have come to pass,” Bottaro said. “Without you, the training would have been out of reach, the opportunities would not have arrived and the dream would have remained unfulfilled.”
Said Ali, “Because of you, we are able to be tomorrow’s health care professionals. We summon strength from your faith in us, from your belief and from the generous support of those who came before us, for they have shown to us our very selves – our indefatigable strength to rise above the odds, to dream the impossible, to travel the path from goals to accomplishment. We thank you.”