The Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc. (OPAF) announced the resounding success of First Bid, its live and silent auction event in conjunction with the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy) Annual Meeting March 21-24 in San Francisco, California.
With well over 100 people in attendance, the evening garnered over $20,000 for OPAF and its First programs. "This is the largest single fundraising event ever for OPAF," said OPAF Executive Director Robin Burton. "What a response from the O&P community! To have this type of support and affirmation is such a shot in the arm for the Official Philanthropy of the U.S. O&P community. Our thanks to OPAF vice president and First Bid chairperson Elizabeth Mansfield for an outstanding job."
The evening offered hors d'oeuvres with a cash bar featuring "Cocktails for Cause" martinis by sponsors College Park Industries and O&P Business News. Attendees were also treated to a string quartet, the Garden Strings, sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood. Many attended in formal attire for the upscale event. The evening livened up with the opening of the Live Auction and the featured auctioneer, Brad Mattear of O&P1. "What a performance that was!" said Burton "Live auction items included a sunset cruise off Newport Beach, courtesy of Captain Jeff Kingsley, full-page color ads in both The O&P EDGE and O&P Business News, a one-week stay in a Hawaiian condo, and a week in a villa in Costa Rica. Frenzied bidding ensued over a pair of Saturday Night Live tickets, a VIP tour of Washington DC, and Yankees/Red Sox tickets.
"The story of the evening was the live bidding on OPAF's Paralympic torch from the 1996 Atlanta games, a significant piece of OPAF history," Burton said. "Jack Richmond, former OPAF president, gave an impassioned speech on the meaning behind the torch and the act of giving and raised the bid to $1,000. In the end, Ted Markgren, CO, was the winning bidder for the Paralympic Torch. Ted has decided however, that the torch should not be his to keep. He is having a case built for the torch for display purposes and will offer the torch back to OPAF on a yearly basis so that it can be auctioned offannually with the stipulation that the winning bidder will only have possession of the torch for one year for display purposes and then returned to OPAF so that others within the O&P industry may enjoy this bit of our history."
Burton added, "For all the details on First Bid and a breakdown of 'who got what,' visit www.opfund.org and click on the link to 'First Bid--Fabulous!'"
For more information about OPAF, visit www.opfund.org
