UPDATE
Additional item for silent auction donated by Nancy Grace: Tour of CNN and appearance on TV with Nancy Grace. Highest bidder in spirited bidding was Cappy Hall Rearick www.simplysoutherncappy.com whose high bid bought her a priceless opportunity. It pays to show up at NSNC events as you never know what opportunity might present itself.
By Eric Heyl
Vice President
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation
If you’re at the conference in Macon, there’s no better way to honor Jeff Zaslow’s memory than by bidding on items at the NSNC Education Foundation’s silent auction.
Proceeds from the auction benefit the Jeff Zaslow College Columnist Award, which was renamed for The Wall Street Journal columnist, bestselling author and former NSNC board member after his tragic death in a car accident in February.
View from Serenity Cabin at Howe Sound, British Columbia
We will have books by NSNC members to be auctioned, and autographed. Also proving popular are crafts such as custom jewelry. Recent auctions also have seen gift baskets by conferees’ hometown tourism bureaus. T-shirts or other memorabilia also are popular — as is nearly any journalism item or, say, time in a spectacular retreat in British Columbia.
Wha’?
In one of the most unusual and generous donations in NSNC history, board Secretary Wayne Chan is offering a week at his family’s rustic vacation home outside Vancouver. To the highest bidder goes a seven-day stay in this magnificent six-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom abode complete with a loft, crib, hot tub, spectacular views of Howe Sound and three high-definition TVs. Check it out yourself at www.vancouverserenity.com and then prepare to bid on this baby. -*-
The auction helps provide scholarships every year to three outstanding student newspaper columnists who write for U.S. college or university undergraduate newspapers. Please contact NSNC Executive Director Luenna Kim if you can donate goods or services for this worthwhile educational cause.
The silent auction will proceed during most of the May 3-6 conference in Macon, Ga., with items displayed in or near the main meeting room with adjacent bid sheets.
Living room of Serenity Cabin at Howe Sound, British Columbia
-*- A gift as generous and complex as a vacation home needs some ‘splainin’:
The week would be scheduled when the cabin is not already booked or used by the family. (Summer and major holidays go quickly, so the winner should check with Wayne right away if that’s the plan.) The offer is good for a year; arrangements must be made by June 1, 2013.
This home’s weekly rent averages US$4,000, which is being waived for the high bidder at the NSNC Macon conference silent auction. Also waived is the cleaning fee. However, the Chan family requires a $1,000 security deposit that is fully refundable after inspection. The week in the cabin is not transferable: The bid winner may not give or resell this.
Note that at 5,000 square feet, the cabin can hold a dozen people — two or three families etc. — perfect for a mini-college reunion or mini-family reunion etc.
In general, auction items will have a $1 starting bid and $1 increments, but some items may have different bounds. These will be noted on each bid sheet. The Canadian cabin will have a $500 minimum bid and $100 increments.
Though subject to change, the displays will be set up after lunch on Friday, May 4, in or near the conference meeting room. Bidding will be closed at noon Saturday, May 5. Payment and other arrangements will taken care of by 6 p.m. Saturday.
Questions? Contact us.
