Gala Auction raises $35,000

The 26th annual Northwestern College Gala Auction on Saturday, Feb. 7, raised around $35,000.

 Proceeds will help fund $1,000 Alumni Scholarships for 30 to 35 students next year, the $1,500 Northwestern College Teaching Excellence Award, a fall workshop for faculty, and student life programs.

More than 500 community members attended the event. Bids were submitted on nearly 300 items.

Items that secured generous bids at the event included guided deep-sea fishing off the coast of California; a Whidbey Island, Wash., vacation package; and movie theater passes for Orange City’s Holland Plaza.

Prior to the auction, more than 600 bids had been submitted online. A Nintendo Wii console, TomTom GPS system and iPod Nano were among those items receiving numerous online bids.

Alumni director Jenny Neuhauser praised the enthusiastic spirit and giving of Northwestern’s supporters. “The state of the U.S. economy didn’t seem to discourage Northwestern alumni and friends, who enjoyed socializing and encouraging each other to bid higher,” she said.