The Palace Theater was “Swank-ified” and filled to the brim with ԱƵ students, parents, faculty, Alumni Council members, and Hamilton residents who gathered for Konosioni’s 14th annual charity auction.
The auction, which provides funding for charitable projects and organizations in the greater Madison County community, raised nearly $25,000, a new record that far surpasses last year’s total of $15,000 and the $11,000 raised in 2009.
This year’s success had much to do with the generous donations received, which included signed Green Bay Packers regalia, a one-week stay at a five-star resort in Uganda, a one-week stay in a Paris apartment, Saturday Night Live tickets, and a five-night stay at the ԱƵ Inn, as well as breakfast with Dean Beverly Low, dinner for six with President Jeffrey Herbst, and Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, and Red Sox tickets.
Decorations by Swank, a downtown Hamilton shop, helped set the mood for the Monte Carlo-themed event.
Funds raised from the April 8 auction will be allocated to local charities in the fall, when the Class of 2012 Konosioni – led by newly elected president Lindsay Strand, vice president Brett Ekberg, secretary Sarah Branz, and treasurer Ellie Schmidt – will review the received applications before selecting where to distribute the money.
Last year’s recipients included Hope House of Utica, Hamilton Public Library, Bridges, The Thea Bowman House of Utica, and seven other organizations.
Meanwhile, , the university’s senior honor society, is preparing for the official induction of its Class of 2012, which is set to take place at 4:15 p.m. Thursday in the Persson Hall Auditorium, having been rescheduled from early March’s snow day.
The inductees are:
Terica Adams
Sarah Branz
Giovanna Brunetto
Kathryn David
Devin Desir
Kelly Dwyer
Brett Ekberg
Sonya Falcone
Kevin Gordon
Charles Hartwick
Christine Heffernan
Jane Huang
Erin Leon
Casey Macaulay
Samantha Myers
Ryan Nelson
Makenna Osborn
Caden Polk
Ruchira Rajan
Bharadwaj Obula Reddy
Alex Restrepo
Ellie Schmidt
Fatima Sowe
Peter Stein
Lindsay Strand
Mitchell Waxman