Tufts sorority Alpha Phi last night hosted its second annual Bid Your Heart Out charity event which consisted of live and silent auctions supporting women's heart health.
The event last year raised just under $6,000, according to junior Kelly Shorr, one of the sorority's vice presidents. All of the money raised through the auction both last year and this year goes toward women's heart health, the philanthropic cause of the Alpha Phi Foundation, Shorr said.
The red carpet?themed event offered the approximately 400 attendees entering the soiree an opportunity to stroll down a red carpet and pose to have a photographer snap their pictures.
There were 105 items auctioned off this year, according to senior Taryn Brandes, one of the auction chairs. Items auctioned off included tickets to see the Red Sox and the Yankees play at Fenway Park, a room for two at the Liberty Hotel in Boston including dinner at Figs in Beacon Hill and a "Tuesday Night Taxi Service," transporting the winner and three of his or her friends to and from destinations of their choice, according to Brandes.
In addition to the silent auction held in the lobby of Aidekman Arts Center and the live auction held in a nearly full Cohen Auditorium, the event featured musical performance by Tufts students and a performance by Spirit of Color.
The event was brought back this year due to its fundraising success last year.
"It was a fun philanthropy social event ... It was really successful and we wanted to do it again," Brandes said.
Although the event was held in Dewick?MacPhie Dining Hall last year, the venue moved to Cohen Auditorium this year because of the lack of space in the dining hall.
"We went way over capacity, which we weren't expecting, which was a great problem to have, so now it's in Cohen," Brandes said.
In addition to raising money for women's heart health, a goal of the event is to bring together many different parts of the campus.
"We thought this event would be great to raise money, but it also brings together tons of different people, because who doesn't like items for cheap and who doesn't want to go see their friends perform?" Shorr said.
The auction aimed to have a wide variety of selection for attendees.
"We definitely have an item for everyone and we worked very hard to at least have something that a lot of different groups would be interested in bidding on," Ally Abouzahr, a sophomore member of the auction committee, said.
