2010 BRS Auction Stats!

[Dave McReeferson]

First off, thank you to everyone who participated, the annual auction is one of the biggest sources of funding for the club, and without it, a good deal of the stuff we do would not be possible, and much else would be severely limited. So, again, thank you to everyone who pitched in in any way.

That being said, there are some folks who stand out as contributors, the people who without whom there would be no auction. These people include the volunteers who help organize and pull off the event, the people who show up and bid to support the club, and of course, what kind of auction would we have if not for the generous donations of our membership?

So, who are the people who make it all happen?

Let's break it down...

We'll start with the people who donate, because that is really what makes it possible in the first place, and, also, remember, these folks ask for and get nothing for their donations outside of the personal satisfaction of knowing they did their part to help the club out. No one can question that these are members who care about the club, and are willing to go above and beyond in ensuring it's continued success.

Broken down into groups based on what their donations brought in...

First, the top three contributors, all of whom brought in nearly $400 or more for the club...

By username...

Denvig - With a total of $460 brought in with his donations, he claims the top spot for 2010. Thank you Dennis!
Liam - His donations generated $435 for the club, a tidy sum. Thank you Liam!
Nick387 - The $395 generated by Nick's donations will go a long way in making this a great year for the club. Thank you Nick!

Following them, broken down into $100 increments...

With donations grossing between $200 and $300 (in descending order)...

Wrassefan
JamesDong
Duecb

...between $100 and $200 (in descending order)...

Reef55
Skiptons Pet Center
Skyedolphin
Aquaman68
Greg Hiller
TheBigDrewski
Swreef
CJTabares
JayM
Miller
Valentine
Pjreefer

...up to $100 (in no particular order)...

Flame Angel
Turbosnail
Maurod and Susieq458
Cherokee Dude
Bmac
KevinPratt
SharkLover
SaltyOldDog
RyanCanulla
ReefKeeper2
AfBoundGuy
Sparkyee
Yanni
Yukyuklee
Number1gsxxr
Mstassbur
MpSteve
MetalFab
Enterprise
Myself and Gina McReeferson

Thank you to all of the people who donated!!!

 

[Dave McReeferson]

Now lets look at those who came to the auction and broke out their checkbooks to support the club. Donations are the key to the whole deal, but we also need folks willing to bid in order to raise any money. These folks got some great deals, but they also really helped make a difference for the club in the process. Thank you to all of those who showed up and bid!

We will break this down a little differently than we did with the people who donated. No $ will be listed, and we'll steer clear of categorizing. What I will do however is point out who at least the top three bidders were (where consent is given).

So, who pitched in the most bucks for the cause? Here are the top three (in descending order)...

Once again, JayM has taken the cake here, with the help of his daughter, he has again landed in the #1 spot by a comfy margin. Thank you Jay for your support!
PJRyan21 takes the number two spot through their very generous contributions. Hope you and your son are enjoying your goodies Ryan, and thank you for the support!
The third biggest contributor in the bidder category wishes to remain anonymous. But, I will still thank them none the less for their support of the club, they know who they are.

It is not just the top three who count though, each and every dollar counts, and heck, even if you didn't win a single item, even the losing bids still make a difference by driving the others higher. If you lifted that paddle even once, you have made a difference, and I thank you.

I would list all of the bidders, as I did all of the people who donated, but given the fact that some folks may not wish to be named, I will leave that alone. You know who you are, and on behalf of the group, I thank you for your support.

 

[Dave McReeferson]

Whoa, whoa! Not so fast! I am not done yet! There are still a few more people to thank.

These people of course are the volunteers who made it all work. Without folks donating their personal time to the club, none of any of this would be possible. We'd all be over surfing on RC or some other such site, just a few more faces in the crowd, anonymous and struggling to find our answers, to get support and input, as well as find someone who cares to hear our geeky stories about our charges, and to share our problems and discoveries with. The Boston Reefers Society is special like that. This is a place of friends, family, and community. Help is always available, and eagerly given. When a Boston Reefer posts a question, it rarely goes unanswered. When a Boston Reefer has an emergency, it is the rare instance that help is not immediately offered, and how often have we seen a fellow Boston Reefer share his sorrow about losing everything in a crash, only to have other fellow reefers offer up frags and equipment of their own to help put all right again? Try that somewhere else.

It is that "pitch in" spirit that founded this club, and keeps it going every day. From my fellow board members, who commit publicly to putting in their hours every day, to the volunteers that you may not even be aware of. They show up early to every meeting to help set up, they drive to east everywhere and back to ensure things get where they need to be, they take time out of their work and use the resources of their businesses to help out the club, they perform your water tests after each meeting, the list goes on...

So who helped out at the auction, working through it so that others could enjoy it?

Our auctioneer, back yet again after multiple years of doing this for the club, was Joe Scavo (Scavdog). He does an excellent job, and we are lucky to have him still pitching in after all of these years.

Performing various tasks at the auction, such as being the runners, helping out with organizing the items, keeping the records, and assisting in the payments and check out area, we had a good group of folks. In no particular order, we had...

Chris (Cjtabares) - Always willing to lend a hand for the club, and a substantial contributor to the auction as well
Jared (Jbishop) - A former BoD member, and a consistent hard working volunteer since he joined the club
Anthony (JamesDong) - One of the highest grossing donation contributors, in addition to being one of the most reliably selfless and proactive volunteers in the group
Michelle (cstmpprl) - Commited, honest, and generous, she is a huge help with many of the club's activities
Brian (Fried Clam) - The significant other of a BOD member (a considerable sacrifice in itself), Brian is always there in whatever we do, and is always ready to help out whenever there is an opportunity
Josh (Penguinsix) - This guy is at nearly ever meeting helping out, and if you have ever had your water tested through the BRS, chances are excellent that Josh is the one who did it for you, an overall imeasurable help to the club in all that it does, and a long time contributor.

This leaves me with just my fellow BoD members to thank. Maurod, JayM, Susieq458, Pillowfish, AFBoundguy, Behrmon, BrianMac, and Gina McReeferson, they all pitched in in some way to make this happen, and to ensure it's success, and I thank them all for their work above and beyond their normal (and sometimes considerble) day to day effort. I have a great team to work with this year. Thank you guys.

I would like to point out one board member in particular here, my wife, Gina (Gina McReeferson). Yeah, I know what you are thinking, "Dave is really reaching for some brownie points there", and I have to say, that is absolutel true. But, it is also absolutely true that for the second year in a row, Gina has shouldered the lion's share of the burden in organizing and planning this event. Many of you also recieved PM's from her soliciting donations for the club this year, and I'd like to point out that she spent a lot of time getting those PM's out to as any of the frequent posters in the "For Sale" forums, and known past contributors, as she could. Couldn't have done it without you baby.

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*I am hoping that I have not missed anyone here or in either of the above posts, if you see a possible error or (I sure hope not) an ommision, please PM me right away so I can make the necessary corrections.

 

[afboundguy]

A big thank you to everybody who made the day a fun one...

One edit thought I think Jay's son helped hit that mark also

 

[Gina McReeferson]

I'd like to thank everyone as well, all who contributed, all who volunteered their help at the auction, all who attended and purchased corals and equipment, thank you all so much! We couldn't pull it off without all of you!

I would like to point out one board member in particular here, my wife, Gina (Gina McReeferson). Yeah, I know what you are thinking, "Dave is really reaching for some brownie points there", and I have to say, that is absolutel true. But, it is also absolutely true that for the second year in a row, Gina has shouldered the lion's share of the burden in organizing and planning this event. Many of you also recieved PM's from her soliciting donations for the club this year, and I'd like to point out that she spent a lot of time getting those PM's out to as any of the frequent posters in the "For Sale" forums, and known past contributors, as she could. Couldn't have done it without you baby.

Awe, thank you baby.