Dollars came rolling in at annual action

NEW LONDON — The New London Community showed up intent on supporting the Dollars for Scholars organization at their annual auction over the weekend.

Beginning with a meal of Maid-Rite Sandwiches, chips, pasta salad, veggies, and desserts made by the high schools’ foods and consumer science class, a good-sized crowd filled the gym where they enjoyed conversations, perused the items up for auction, and bid on the silent auction items.

Just after 6 p.m. children began to disappear to a fun kids-activity area just around the corner from the gym.

High school students played games, applied tattoos, and helped kids pick toys sponsored by Pilot Grove Savings Bank while their parents prepared to open their wallets for a good cause.

According to fliers provided on tables at the event, “The New London Dollars for Scholars program is affiliated with Scholarship America, which is a national organization dedicated to funding scholarships to students.”

“Our Chapter awards scholarships to any graduating senior or any previous graduate, within the past 10 years returning to postsecondary education — regardless of financial need, grad point average, or extracurricular activities. The only requirement is that the student apply online and then attend a community college, four-year college or technical school.”

Differing from many other scholarship programs, Dollars for Scholars does not even require that the students attend a school with tuition to benefit from a scholarship.

“For example, we have had welding students that did not have tuition expenses, so their scholarship money was spent on a welding mask and supplies,” the flier read. “Someone in an electrician apprenticeship program received reimbursement for his supplies such as tools and backpack.”

So, the community bid on the auction items with charity in mind.

With over 110 live auction items, an auctioneer from Steffes Group started the auction off hot with a high bid for a gas patio heater of $200.

The highest bids of the evening, however, went to a variety of baked goods throughout the night.

A strawberry rhubarb pie from Koni Lounsbury brought a winning bid of $400 before a Dollars for Scholars committee member brought out another pie saying “I found another in the back.”

The second pie brought another $225 in a winning bid.

The pies, however, pale in comparison to the $750 bid made for one pan of Lounsbury’s cinnamon rolls.

As students modeled various items and the auctioneer made his way through the list, the tables began to disappear.

After all the live and silent auctions found their winning bidders, smiling faces paid for their purchases, and left the school knowing that they had made a difference in the lives of New London Scholars.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com