The Tufts chapter of Alpha Phi raised a record $13,000 for women's health at its annual Bid Your Heart Out event last Saturday, collecting bids at two auctions to far surpass the amount they have raised in previous years.
"It's such a fun event, and all the girls are so enthusiastic about it," senior Jenna Rennert, who directed the fundraiser, said. "We always have great support from the entire chapter, and everybody loves to participate. I can only hope that we keep raising more and more money every year for our cause."
The event raised around $5,500 in its first year and almost $10,000 last year, according to Rennert.
"We're constantly trying to grow and improve," Alpha Phi President Madeline Kern, a junior, said. "The progress from last year to this year, just in terms of money raised for our philanthropy, is unbelievable. I'm so shocked that we were able to do that but obviously very happy."
The event included both a silent auction in the Aidekman Arts Center's Alumnae Lounge and a live auction in Cohen Auditorium, according to Alpha Phi Philanthropy co-chair Alexandra Zeitouni.
"We had hors d'oeuvres and people just milled around," Kern said. "It was really social."
Auction attendees bid on items from categories including beauty, fashion, entertainment and food, according to Alpha Phi Vice President of Marketing Emily Rennert, a sophomore. Some of the items offered included lunch with University President Anthony Monaco, a gift card for Dave's Fresh Pasta and a gift card to the Georgetown Cupcake.
Spirit of Color kicked off the live auction event, where the Tufts Beezlebubs also performed.
Emily Rennert explained that most of the items offered during the live auction were interactive ? she also said while someone of the auctions' offerings were the same as those from previous years, were similar to those offered in years past, while others were different.
"A lot of [sisters'] families will donate things - so that stuff was different," she said.
The sisters had been worried about turnout before the event when tickets had sold out beforehand, but the number of people who bought tickets at the door made up the difference, she added.
"Going into these events, you can never tell what's going to happen." Jenna Rennert said. "I'm always a little hesitant.
"I think the event went amazingly. We almost sold out in Cohen Auditorium, which is about 600 people. Almost every seat was filled. When I heard that number that night, I was shocked."
The auction is typically held during the fall, Jenna Rennert said, but a push to include new sorority members in planning the event led to a switch to the spring semester this year.
Planning for the event began over break, according to Zeitouni.
"We started out going around to local stores and restaurants and asking them for donations, and then we also had each sister make some sort of donation," she said. "Basically we just wanted all the girls to participate in the event."
Jenna Rennert explained that she helped develop the initial idea for the event during her sophomore year.
"We were...sitting around one night and thought up an auction and thought it'd be a great idea," she said. "This philanthropy is such an important part of being in a chapter on campus...We had no idea that it would be so successful."
