For the Gulls Give Foundation, the Sylvan Lake Gulls game on July 23 was the perfect fit to hold the 2023 silent and live auction.
During the auction, there were around 26 silent items and 13 live auction items to bid on with the majority of the items coming from Central Alberta.
“The Gulls baseball team and the foundation have been very widely supported by Central Alberta and we appreciate that so much. We work with a lot of great people in this community that we have built-in Gulls baseball and they have given back to us,” founder of the Gulls Give Foundation and the Sylvan Lake Gulls Jen Schetzsle said.
The live auction started off with two jerseys auctioned off during the eighth and ninth inning, one from pitcher Tyler Boudreau and the other from catcher Hank Dodson.
When bidding finished on the jerseys, the players were pleasantly surprised to see how much they went for.
“It was surprising to see how much my jersey went for. I expected it to sell for like maybe $40 so it was really cool to see that people wanted my jersey for the price it went,” Dodson said.
READ MORE: Sylvan Lake Gulls building a brand that keeps fans coming back
Funding raised from the silent auction will go to supporting non-profit organizations like the ones the Gulls Give Foundation has supported in the past including the Central Alberta Women’s Shelter (CAWES), the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Center, Smiles Through Lindsay, Sylvan Lake Community Partners, Ronald McDonald House, the Gord Bamford Foundation, Walk a Mile in HER Shoes Red Deer, the Dakin Chase Foundation, the Sylvan Lake Charity Checkstop, Eckville Toys for Tots, anonymous gym memberships for teens in need, Hats on For Mental Health and the Sylvan Lake Food Bank.
Each year the Gulls Give Foundation receives a number of requests for a donation, Schetzsle said.
“Generally if the organization’s values align with our vision and mission we will give a donation.”
Many more really neat ideas are also coming in with the foundation and the new Executive Director Keri Lee has brought to the table different ways to integrate Gulls baseball with Gulls Give, Schetzsle added.
“I think we can see huge growth within the next five years with our business plan and I really feel like our foundation specifically in the mental health area is going to give back a lot in the future.”
Giving back is not only important for members of the foundation but also for the members of the baseball team.
“I think it is really important for us as a team to give back because the fans do so much for us to keep us afloat and we got to do our part for them and make sure that we appreciate everything the fans do for us,” Dodson said.
More information about how to request a donation, how to donate to and the vision and mission of the Gulls Give Foundation is available to view on the Gulls Give website.
@sarahbaker
sarah.baker@blackpress.ca
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