17th Annual Rotary Club of Houghton Lake Auction a Success!

The 17th Annual Rotary Club of Houghton Lake Community Service Auction raised over $32,000 Saturday, April 23rd! The largest fundraiser of the local service club was attended by 200 people at the Columbian Home Hall in Prudenville. Ticket raffles were won by Bob Bennett - $250, Michael Fossitt - $250, and Tom Bowman - $500 (Bob and Tom donated the money back to Rotary). 50/50 raffles were won by Michelle Jernigan and Larissa VanSice. Food was catered by The East Bay Grille, music was by Party Pam, Live Auctioneer was Matt Nester, and the evening activity was directed by Master of Ceremonies Bill Oliver. The live and silent auction included 236 items with a total value of nearly $30,000 procured by Rotarians throughout the year. “The Beatles Invasion” was the auction theme with Rotarians and guests dressed in their favorite Fab Four attire. A special Music Studio/Man Cave raffle that included a keyboard, Beatles music, and a Vizio 55" LED/LCD High Definition TV was won by John Winkler. Midway through the evening, Rotarian Gordie LaFontaine introduced representatives of local organizations who have received over $13,000 in donations from the Rotary Club of Houghton Lake  this year including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center, Lions Halloween Party, Russ Graham & Matt Grover Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner, UPS ED’s Charity Auction / Coats for Kids, Act Now / Kids Helping Kids, Act Now /Grayson's Gift, Roscommon Literacy Council, Rusty Nuts Car Club - Wertz Warriors/Special Olympics, American Cancer Society / Relay for Live, Houghton Lake Library, Project H.O.P.E., River House Shelter, Shop with a Hero, Habitat for Humanity, Our Lady of the Lake Schools / Playground Fund, Houghton Lake Community Schools,  and Roscommon County Sheriff / Secret Santa. Money for the Our Lady of the Lake playground donation came from the Houghton Lake Rotary Club Parks Fund and some of the money raised from the auction will benefit the Houghton Lake Rotary Memorial Scholarship Fund (both funds are managed by the Roscommon County Community Foundation).

“Once again Rotarians and the community came together to exceeded all our expectations”, noted Rotary President Becky Yuncker, adding “Thank You to the donors, attendees, and Rotarians for making this event a great success.”