Warren Buffett Lunch Auction Brings In $3.46 Million for Glide Foundation

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Warren Buffett’s week-long charity lunch auction raised $3.46 million for the Glide Foundation of San Francisco this year. The online bidding nearly tripled the price during the last thirty seconds of the event, bringing the price up from $1.23 million, Ebay revealed.

Glide is an organization that provides meals for those in need, and runs a church in Tenderloin district as well. Proceeds from the auction are donated to the foundation each year, while the winning bidder and seven companions join Buffett for lunch at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in NY.

Since its inception 13 years ago, the lunch auction has raised over $14.6 million.

Buffett, a self-made billionaire and the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has pledged a great portion of his wealth to charity. He was introduced to Glide by his first wife Susan Buffett, who passed away eight years ago.

“I was suspicious when I heard my wife raving about this place in San Francisco,” Buffett shares. “What I witnessed was an institution and an individual that really gave up on nobody,” he said, referring to Rev. Cecil Williams, the founder of the organization.

“They took the people that the rest of the world had forgotten, people who’d given up on themselves, and they felt that every human being had a potential,” he added.”

 

Lady Antebellum Visits Small, Tornado-Stricken Indiana Town

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On March 2nd, a devastating tornado struck a small southern Indiana town, damaging homes and buildings and destroying the local school.

Led by senior Ty Griffin, students from the Henryville Junior-Senior High School participated in an online contest to bring Lady Antebellum to play at the town. Not expecting to win a real visit from the Grammy Award-winning band, the teens were thrilled when the act arrived to surprise them with a private, prom-style show at the downtown arena in Louisville.

According to singer Hillary Scott, numerous high schools applied on behalf of Henryville, including several from Northern Wisconsin and even Henryville rival Silver Creek High School from Sellersburg, Indiana. She added that Silver Creek was the band’s original pick, but the students there gave up the win in support of Henryville’s bid.

“That was just such, honestly, an encouraging thing to think that those high schoolers, that generation, they’re that helpless, they want to help each other that much,” Scott said. “It was definitely an easy decision.”

 

Fill the World with Books Says James Owens

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Business professor James Owens, founder of the non-profit organization The World is Just a Book Away, is changing lives.  Deciding to share his love of reading with those who are less fortunate, he is helping to build libraries and to encourage reading in Indonesia.

Since 2009, The World is just a Book Away has built dozens of libraries in Indonesia in Padang, Sidoarjo and Bali. As Owens explained his inspiration,

“They go to school, they learn and they are very smart.  They do not have access to books, history and fables and stories and science, that can really spark their imagination and let them dream.”

Fundraising efforts include many approaches for the organization.  Executive Director Robert Lucas helps to connect donors with the various projects that the charity finances.  Some of the libraries have even been named for their donors, including Cher, Liam Neeson, Jane Goodall and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Owens, a professor at the University of Southern California, has created a five-kilometer charity run to raise money for the cause.

Each library costs between $5000 and $10,000, and one charity event can pave the way for a new library.

Headmaster at one school in Padang, Amril Lasmana, explains how important the library can be to students in Padang. Lasmana said, “The enthusiasm, interest, and motivation of our students in learning increased.  The library building has been renewed.  And now, it is in good and clean condition, so it motivates our students to study.”

So far, The World is Just a Book Away has built a total of 49 libraries for children in Indonesia and 26 for their parents.

The Damon Brooks Charity Game

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Damon Brooks Charity Game

Damon Brooks Charity Game

You never know where life will take you. In April, former Springbrook High basketball player Damon Brooks, was playing around with his friend. Lifting his friend off the ground, Brooks’ knees buckled and the two boys fell to the ground, where Brooks hit his head and broke his neck.

Two surgeries later, Brooks is at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Rather than asking, “Why Me?” he is trying to put his energies towards his rehabilitation and towards getting back to Goucher College.

Darnell Myers, the Springbrook assistant coach, decided to do something to lift Brooks’ spirits and to help pay for his medical expenses. He organized what he hopes will now be an annual Damon Brooks Charity Game between Goucher players and Springbrook alumni.  They had t-shirts and wrist bands printed for sale and they hosted two games. There was a bake sale and concessions and a large donation box.

Over 400 tickets were sold to the event, and Brooks’ and his mom were certainly touched. As he mom, Latre’ Zankli said, “I didn’t know how many people’s lives he touched until his tragedy. I knew he was a good person, but the outpouring has just been overwhelming.”

While Brooks wasn’t able to attend the charity game, he watched it on an iPad loaned to him.

As one observer, Anoko, wrote on a blog, “So ofcourse, the Springbrook All-Stars won the game and the rest is history! My family was so touched by the outpouring of support from everyone including the Coaches (Past and Present), Staff, Friends, and Family that came out to donate to Damone’s recovery expenses.”

Redlands Symphony Dancing with the Stars Gala Raises $40,000 for Charity

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The 27th annual Redlands Symphony Dancing with the Stars gala just drew to a close, with over 400 supporters participating in the charity auctions and numerous other activities. Organizers have shared that the event raised around $40, 000, which will be used to support the Redlands Symphony Orchestra’s music education programs, as well as the regular season.

“Music changes lives,” explained Paul V. Ideker, President and CEO of Redlands Symphony. “We put on professional concerts for kids to teach them all about music.”

He continued, “We have paid for school buses to bring in students to teach them about the beauty of music. Seeing children that respond to a full orchestra playing classical music is breathtaking.”

The gala, held this past Saturday night, began with two auctions; one silent and one live. A charity dinner and a ballroom dance contest were also highlights of the evening, both supporting the charity as well.

The auctions include items ranging from tires to restaurant gift cards, beauty and spa treatments and tickets to various events. There was a stay at the Mauna Kea Hotel in Hawaii; a trip to New York for two, including flights, hotel stays and several meals; a first class rail trip through Italy and tickets to a David Letterman show.

Dr. Jim Bennett, Cheryl Evans, Fire Chief Jeff Frzier, Kathy T. Maiberger, Shelli Stockton and Erik Laudenslager were all present at the Dancing with the Stars gala, much to their fans’ delight. The contestants’ families and friends all voted in the competition, donating one dollar per vote.

“In the last three years we’ve collected over $150,000 for the symphony’s causes,” Ideker revealed. “That’s just from the $1 votes.”

“It was a profitable night for music, kids and the Redlands Symphony,” said Dave VanLannen, a supporter. “It’s all about the kids.”