For the past 10 years, the Syracuse University Sport Management Club has held a charity sports auction. And each year, the bar is set even higher in terms of money raised.

On Dec. 6, 2014, the Sport Management Club held its 10th annual auction with this year’s auction benefiting Make-A-Wish Central New York. As fans watched the SU men’s basketball team face that of St. John’s University, they were able to go to the backcourt of the Carrier Dome to bid on items.

The goal for this year’s auction was $40,000 and club adviser Kate Veley said the club far exceeded that goal. The final results will be presented at the SU game on Jan. 24 against the University of Miami because the crowd members of the games are the same ones who donated and helped the auction succeed, she said.

The more than $40,000 raised by the club is the most in the 10-year history of the auction, Veley said. Jeremy Losak, a junior sport management major who was a chair of the Donations Committee for the auction, said the club has now raised more than $250,000 over the course of the 10 years.

More than 550 items were up for auction during the game with a variety of both sport and non-sport items.

“The items in the auction ranged from jewelry, a Derek Jeter-signed ball, a Tim Howard jersey and various other items for all sorts of interests. There’s something for everyone at the auction,” said Hannah Visnosky, a junior sport management major who was one of the co-chairs of the auction.

The more than $40,000 benefiting Make-A-Wish Central New York will help Make-A-Wish continue to grant a wish every 38 minutes. The average cost for a wish to be granted is around $10,000 so at least four children will benefit from the auction.

During halftime of the game, Nick Nortz, a student at General Brown Junior and Senior High School in Dexter, New York, had his wish granted with tickets to the NCAA Tournament Final Four along with other SU basketball apparel.

“For me personally, it really hit home the significance of what me and the rest of the club were accomplishing for kids like Nick,” Losak said. “Most of the club was unaware that a wish was going to be granted at the half, so it was an amazing surprise for all of us.”

Visnosky and fellow co-chair Brooke Del Guercio were responsible for the management of the auction.

“Along with the other co-chair, I oversee every aspect of the group and we are the face of the auction. There are around 100 people in the club itself who worked on the project,” Visnosky said. “I was really happy with the fact that we beat the goal of raising $40,000 and the aim for next year is to get bigger and better.”

Del Guercio said Make-A-Wish was a good charity to work with and helped motivate the club by bringing in people who had their wishes granted.

Following the Dec. 6, 2014 auction during the basketball game, select items were made available online through Steiner Sports. The online auction ended on Dec. 9, 2014.

Now that both the charity auction at the game and the online auction are over, the next step for the club is to look ahead to next year’s auction, which will have a higher monetary goal like every year. During the spring, Losak said the club will look at ways to improve the auction, choose a charity and select new chairs in preparation for the 11th annual auction.

Published on January 14, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Connor: clried@syr.edu