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Camp Wildcat raises $7,000 for next year's programs

Auction, concert nearly doubles last year's fundraising

Tucson community members this weekend bid on a Hawaiian vacation package, Arizona Diamondbacks baseball tickets, and massage packages while raising more than $7,000 for a UA club and Tucson children.

Proceeds from Friday's Camp Wildcat fundraising auction - almost twice as much as was raised last year - will help aid the club's programs for local children.

The 35th Anniversary Flamenco Concert and Benefit Auction, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 4831 E. 22nd St., brought in 50 Camp Wildcat members and 70 members of the Tucson community.

"The night was really successful, it was so much better than I had imagined," said fundraising chair Mitzi Williams, a microbiology and veterinary sciences senior who will take over as Camp Wildcat's chairwoman in the fall.

Williams said the amount of money they raised will help Camp Wildcat afford at least three of their "Big Camps" next year.

During these camps - held at least twice per year - club members lead 50 to 100 disadvantaged Tucson schoolchildren on camping trips.

The event kicked off with a flamenco guitar performance by University of Arizona music alumnus Chris Burton J‡come. He also spoke about his experiences with Camp Wildcat.

Williams said J‡come's performance helped the auction.

"His (J‡come's) performance was amazing, and his speech got everyone really pumped to donate money," Williams said.

A live auction, which brought in about $3,000 of the night's total, was conducted by Christine Sullivan, a professional auctioneer from Count Your Assets, a Tucson auction company.

Following the live auction, the audience had the opportunity to bid on items, including artwork, photography packages, lamps and clocks in a silent auction.

"All of the items met their minimum bids and I was very happy," said Raghu Nandan, UA Camp Wildcat member and publicity and ticketing chairman of the event.

Williams said she was worried before the event because last year's auction did not attract a large amount of people, and only raised $4,000.

But Williams said she was excited that this year was more successful.

"We wanted to reach out into the Tucson community to raise money so that we can continue our work with children," Williams said.

Zoe Bowick, another Camp Wildcat member, was in charge of the donations and other auction items and said she was thrilled with the event's success.

"My committee and I basically opened up the Yellow Pages and began making phone calls," Bowick said. "Many people helped put together this event and I was really proud that everyone worked so hard."

Williams said every item in the live auction was sold, and the club hopes that items not bought from the silent auction will be sold by the end of the school year via eBay, an Internet auction Web site.