Adopt-a-Doll auction is back
The auction is about halfway, with the money raised just passing the halfway mark as well, but bids are slowing down.
East Rand Children’s Haven (ERCH) is holding their annual Adopt-a-Doll auction to raise funds for the home.
The goal for this year’s auction is to raise R30 000 to do some general maintenance and catch up with bills.
“We try to give the kids a good quality life. They don’t have the need for anything, it’s why we work so hard to raise these funds,” Maxie Smook, the social worker for the home told the Brakpan Herald.
The auction is about halfway, with the money raised just passing the halfway mark as well, but bids are slowing down.
The Fuchs family made the highest bid recently of R10 000 for a set of two dolls that have been dubbed sisters. They frequently make large contributions and often like to ‘keep siblings together’ when they adopt dolls.
The largest ever contribution was R14 650 by the Gormley Group, who also paid R13 000 the year before for a set of ‘siblings’.
Each doll that was donated for the auction was cleaned, dressed, and given a backstory made up of similar stories of children that have been or are currently in the care of the home.
The names and ages assigned to the dolls are fabricated to protect the children’s identities.
This Adopt-a-Doll fundraiser brings in more money than any other initiative, according to Wendy Murphy, the programme director.
“I try to get a bigger audience with this initiative, like a church congregation, businesses, a sports club or school. I want them to take part in the auction. It can be something fun every year.
“It can be like churches or businesses or schools competing to outbid each other by raising funds among employees or congregants or students for the auction. They will get a certificate and a doll that they can display as a point of pride for their contribution,” Wendy said.
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“We don’t have the opportunity, like with a school, to rely on a large network of parents for donations, we need the community to get involved,” she continued.
ERCH has high operating and maintenance costs. They have to manage laundry for 20 children, run walk-in fridges/freezers donated some time ago, keep the pool functional, maintain furniture and appliances, keep the recreation room going, and pay all the normal bills.
They most often get food or clothes donations, so the cash injection from the Adopt-a-Doll auction is very helpful.
The auction is run on their Facebook page. There they post about the next doll in the lineup, where you can see the doll’s story, and then community members or organisations bid on the doll in the comments. The highest bid at closing gets the doll.
