World-Champion Auctioneers Gear Up For Annual Toy Auction
October 27 2003 - 1:39PM
PR Newswire (US)
World-Champion Auctioneers Gear Up For Annual Toy Auction Play
Money Purchases Plentiful Playthings for Children at St. Jude
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas comes a month
early for the children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in
Memphis -- or so it seems for many of them. That's because each
year in November, the National Auctioneers Association conducts its
ever-popular toy auction for the patients. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030318/NAALOGO ) The
entertaining event, set this year for Nov. 17, allows the pint-size
patients to "bid" on a wide array of shiny, new toys using play
money. The children vie for dolls, trucks, videos and other donated
playthings using the auction method of marketing. The fast-paced
event covers many aspects of the auction experience from bidder
registration to friendly bidder competition. Toys are lined up on
tables so the children can scope out items for which they would
like to bid. The NAA's reigning international auctioneer champions,
Jeff Stokes, Edgewood, Wash., and Kaija Kokesh, Palisade, Minn.,
will host this year's event using their refined chants to "sell"
the toys to the crowd, while giving them a taste of what it's like
to attend a real auction. Both Stokes and Kokesh have provided
support for the hospital over the years through benefit auctions
and by allocating proceeds from specially marked items to their
cause. But Kokesh's first experience with St. Jude came at age 15.
Her community sponsored a bike-a-thon to raise money for the
hospital, and she rode the farthest -- 33 miles. Now she will
personally visit the hospital to spend time with the children and
brighten their lives. "I'm the mother of four and know it will be a
heart-wrenching experience for me," she said. "But I also expect it
will be the highlight of my year." The NAA adopted St. Jude as its
official charity in 1995, and since that time has donated nearly $3
million to further the hospital's cause of treating children with
life-threatening illnesses. Throughout the year, NAA members
auction earmark items for St. Jude at events, or organize entire
St. Jude- related functions such as large auctions, bake sales or
golf tournaments. They believe wholeheartedly in the words of St.
Jude founder Danny Thomas who said "no child should die in the dawn
of life." Other auctioneers and NAA staff attending the event will
be Mike Jones, CAI, president-elect; John Roebuck, former NAA
president; and Robert Shively, CAE, chief executive officer. With
more than 7,000 members from throughout the world, the National
Auctioneers Association is the largest organization of its kind
dedicated to promoting the auction method of marketing and
enhancing the professionalism of its members. Member benefits range
from federal legislative representation to comprehensive continuing
education programs, including coursework to earn the following
professional auctioneer designations: Certified Auctioneers
Institute (CAI), Accredited Auctioneer, Real Estate (AARE),
Graduate, Personal Property Appraiser (GPPA) and Certified Estate
Specialist (CES). The organization was founded in 1949 and is
headquartered in Overland Park, Kan. For more information on the
NAA and its programs, log on to http://www.auctioneers.org/ .
Photo: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030318/NAALOGO AP Archive:
http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or
+1-212-782-2840 DATASOURCE: National Auctioneers Association
CONTACT: Robert A. Shively, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of NAA,
+1-888-541-8084 ext. 11, Web site: http://www.auctioneers.org/
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