The Kristol Center for Jewish Life at the University of Delaware Hillel Foundation introduced a whole new way to show support for Jewish students at the university: Last week, the "doors" opened to Shalom Delaware, an auction that takes place on the Internet.
The auction is running until 10 p.m. on Monday, April 4 and promises to have a major impact on the University of Delaware Jewish community. Kristol Center for Jewish Life supporters have been receiving e-mails about the auction and can forward those messages to an unlimited number of guests to virtually "attend" and take part in the auction. Members of the public can also participate. Money raised by the auction will go toward spiritual, educational, social and social-action programming for the 1,600 Jewish students at University of Delaware.
Using exciting new software provided by cMarket, Inc., an organization with a focus on serving nonprofit organizations, and thanks to the generosity of donors such as The Music Joint, Closic's Furniture, Lieberman's Book Store, and The Gavel Group, University of Delaware Hillel has assembled an exciting catalog of auction items to get people bidding. Items up for bid include: a 1968 still-sealed Jimi Hendrix album, a 10-day European adventure, a hot-air balloon ride, a hand-signed original photo of Willie Mays' famous catch in the 1954 World Series and a wide variety of other adventures and collectables.
"This is a great innovation for UD Hillel. With students and parents from all over the United States, a local auction just doesn't give them the opportunity to be a part the excitement. With an online auction, we can invite far more supporters to be a part of the growth of Jewish life on this campus," said University of Delaware Hillel President Mike Samuels.
"We're extremely honored that Kristol Center for Jewish Life has chosen cMarket to help raise money for such an important cause," said Jon Carson, chief executive officer and co-founder of cMarket. "We understand how challenging it is for nonprofits to raise funds solely through live auctions, since such not all of their supporters are able to attend and place bids. This is a wonderful example of how nonprofit organizations can use technology to reach out to their supporters on a much larger scale and raise the funds they need to truly make a difference."
Visitors are welcome to browse, shop or just drop by and sign the guest book to show their support for University of Delaware Hillel. Donations are still being accepted - simply log on to the site and click on the "Donate Now" button. Users can also contribute to the auction's success by using the "Tell A Friend" button on the Web site.
For more information about getting involved, contact University of Delaware Hillel Executive Director Susan Detwiler or communications intern Rebecca Woolf at 302-453-0479 or sdhillel@udel.edu.