You will need your winning bid sheet receipt (from check out representative) in order to remove your auction items from the premises. There will be a “checker” at the door to review your receipt and items(s). All items purchased must be taken home with you at the end of this evening unless other arrangements have been made for delivery, including any delivery charges. Runners will be available to help you get the items to your vehicle. At the close of the evening, if you have not already paid for your items you will need to proceed to the check out table with your winning bid sheet. You can pay by cash, check or credit card... If you are paying by check, please make your check is payable to “Usher Syndrome Foundation” or “USF”.
Oral Auction Items: There will only be 2 items sold in an oral auction tonight. These two items, listed below, will be sold at the first band break at approximately 9:00. There will be no other oral auction items or oral auction segments this evening. If you intend to participate in the bidding of either or both of these items you need to be prepared to be in the vicinity of the dance floor by 9:00. We will not hold up the oral auction to wait for anyone.
At the band break, the auctioneer will announce the oral auction is about to begin, what item is being auctioned first and the amount of the starting bid. We will have runners standing throughout the room holding flashlights. Simply raise your hand and keep it there until a runner spots you and acknowledges you by holding their flashlight on you. The runner(s) will hold his flashlight on the highest bidder until the next highest amount is agreed upon. At the conclusion of this segment a runner will escort the winner(s) of these two items to the check out table to pay for their item(s). The winners will receive a receipt and their instructions for receiving their winnings.
SilentAuction Items: Each item will have a corresponding bid sheet. Opening bids on all items are stated on the bid sheets. When bidding on an item, please enter your name number and the amount you wish to bid. As stated on the bid sheets, bids must be in minimum increments (stated per bid sheet), and in whole dollar amounts. Table closings will be announced 10 minutes in advance. No bid shall be placed after a table is officially closed. In the event that more than one bidder wants to place a “final” bid at the time the bidding closes, an auction volunteer will provide each bidder with a separate bid sheet. Each bidder will be entitled to one final, private bid. The winning bidder will be determined by the highest private bid. USF staff shall have the sole and final discretion to determine the winning bid. No appeals will be permitted. Bid high!
As a courtesy to your fellow bidders, please DO NOT:
*Take bid sheet pens.
*Block or hide sheets to prevent others from bidding.
*Hover menacingly over auction items to intimidate other bidders.
*Attempt to use another guest’s bidder number as a joke or for any other reason.
Disclaimer: The committee has been very careful to ensure the accuracy of the descriptions and values of the items listed but when people are involved there is the possibility for human error. If there are any questions or discrepancies your good judgment should be your guide. We apologize if any of the donor names have been misspelled or donations mistakenly attributed to an incorrect donor. The items you are bidding on this evening have been donated. There will be no exchanges or refunds unless specifically stated. Some of the auction items may have restrictions on their use, please pay attention to those restrictions if you plan on bidding on these items. All auction items/packages must be redeemed by December 31, 2009, unless stated otherwise. Please contact our organization right away if there is a problem.
Tax Information: All winning bidders will receive a tax letter from USF indicating how much of the purchase is eligible for charitable tax purposes. The amount that may qualify is limited to the excess of the amount of the purchase price over the value of the auction item purchase (i.e. if an item is valued at $100 and you bid $120, $20 of the purchase is tax-deductible; if you had bid $80 on an item valued at $100. None of that purchase is tax-deductible).
One Final Note: We trust that all attendees will drink responsibly this evening. However, we reserve the right to stop serving anyone we feel is inebriated. We will be happy to arrange transportation home for anyone who requests it. Thank you for attending and we hope you enjoy the evening!
*NOTE: The event you've read about has passed. Please see our events page for upcoming USF fundraisers.
Megan O’Neill, born with a moderate hearing impairment, was studying to be an architect at the University of Kansas when it was discovered that an increased difficulty with her vision was actually due to Usher syndrome. A condition we had never heard of until that day. At 23 years of age, Megan is already considered legally blind.Find out more about Megan
About 20,000 people in the United States have Usher syndrome. It is the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness world wide. At this time there is no cure for Usher syndrome and treatments are experimental. As it is the rarest form of RP (retinitis pigmentosa), it is afforded the least amount of funding from organizations that raise money for research of RP and other forms of blindness.Find out more about Usher Syndrome