As people throw tailgate parties to gear up for Saturday’s Civil War game, one tailgate party will show school spirit by raising money for scholarships.
The University Alumni Association and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce are hosting the sixth-annual Tailgate Auction tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Eugene Hilton. Tickets to the silent and oral auction, sponsored by Symantec, are $75 and everyone from the community is invited to attend.
“It’s a fun, great event and we’re just so fortunate we can raise so much money for scholarships,” University Alumni Association Executive Director Dan Rodriguez said.
Money raised at the auctions will fund University and Lane Community College scholarships as well as K-12 education programs at Springfield schools. The auction has raised $180,000 for scholarships over the past six years, Rodriguez said.
Springfield Chamber Membership Director Tiffany Brownson said without the fund-raiser, programs such as middle school and high school career days wouldn’t exist.
“We use it as our biggest fund-raiser for the year,” she said.
Rodriguez said although some Oregon State University alumni attend the auction, such as Springfield Chamber Board President Mike Kelly, the association’s share of the money goes to University students.
“All of that money goes to the U of O, not the Beavers,” he said. “We go through the whole night taking great pride in giving heck to the Beavers.”
Freshman Aurora Pulido received a scholarship from last year’s fund-raiser, and she said the money helped her afford the extra costs of textbooks.
“The scholarship helped me out with my books and everything, so it was really important to me,” she said. She added that she is looking forward to meeting the other seven students who received scholarships for this school year.
Freshman Solomon Rexius said the money he received this year made him more financially secure. He said he thinks one of the reasons he won the award was because of the application essay he wrote titled “What it Means to be a Duck.”
“I said, ‘I already was a Duck since I grew up in Eugene,’” he said.
Brownson said the auctions include about 270 items, many donated by local businesses. The oral auction includes the more expensive items, such as a vacation home in Denmark, three classic cars and a year’s worth of tuition and books at the University.
University President Dave Frohnmayer will attend the auction and speak on the importance of raising money for scholarships.
Oregon football head coach Mike Bellotti will also be present, along with the University Rally Squad and the University Green Garter Band. The night will include a small pep rally, Rodriguez said.
“We’re taking advantage of the fact that everybody’s geared up for the Civil War game,” Rodriguez said. “Everyone will get into the spirit of the tailgate party.”
Rexius said he is also excited to meet the other scholarship winners, but he’s not sure if he’ll bid on any of the auction items.
“We’ll see,” he said. “If they have anything good, I’ll bring my wallet”.