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This Year’s Scholarship Auction was a Success! 

By Steve Butler, FAICP and Nancy Eklund, AICP

After being on hiatus for several years, the Student Scholarship Auction was “reactivated” for this year’s APA WA Chapter annual conference in Vancouver which occurred on October 12. The auction raised an estimated $6,500, all of which will benefit students in Washington's accredited Planning programs.

This year’s auction included both a Silent and a Live Auction, as well as a “Raise the Paddle” event. An extra big Thank You! goes out to the two volunteer Co-Auctioneers – Keith McClelland and Joe Tovar.  Their adept orchestration of the Live events helped the event be a great success!

There are a lot of additional thanks to be given to many generous people:

 A) Live Auction Items

  • Karl Almgren - “Sailgating” and Tickets to a 2023 UW Huskies Football Game
  • Brian Carrico & Chad Eiken – Flyfishing Lessons at a premier “fly-fishing only” lake

Leonard Forsman – One-Night Stay at the Clearwater Casino and Resort

  • Esther Larsen – Four-night stay in Moab, Utah
  • Olivia Story – Two-Night Stay in a Stone Cottage in Yakima Wine Country
  • Kell Rowen Half-Day Sailboat Trip in the South Sound

 B) Silent Auction

Thanks go out to all of the donors who contributed items for the silent auction but Michael Cardwell, FAICP, deserves special recognition for donating a large treasure trove of sports memorabilia and Indigenous Nation items.

The other donors are:

  • Karl Almgren
  • Kadie Bell Sata
  • Erin & Kayla Braich
  • Steve Butler
  • Brian Carrico
  • City of Poulsbo PED Dept.
  • Nikole Colman
  • Chad Eiken
  • Gallagher's Where UBrew
  • Scott Greenberg, Convergence Zone Cellars
  • Christie Hussey, Sigillo Cellars
  • Tammy & Scott Keillor
  • Esther Larsen
  • Judith Perez
  • Alan Peters
  • Kirk Rappe
  • Karla Riccobuono, Hedges Family Estate
  • Gwen Rousseau
  • David Sacamano
  • Snoqualmie Ice Cream
  • Wells William

C) Raise the Paddle

A big “Thank You” to those planners who were the “big time” donors to the Raise the Paddle event:
Robin and Keith McClelland; Esther Larsen; Steve Butler and Kathleen Conner.

D) Volunteers and Chapter Staff

An event like the Student Scholarship Auction takes a lot of people to organize and run it. We would like to thank the Chapter’s ad hoc Scholarship Auction Committee, which was comprised of Steve Butler, Michael Cardwell, Nancy Eklund, Esther Larsen, Judith Perez, and Kirk Rappe. 

In addition, many thanks to the “day-of” volunteers who helped carry off the auction, including a crack team from the City of Vancouver: Keith Jones; Becky Coutinho; Mark Person; Jason Nortz; Bryan Snodgrass; Greg Turner; Kris Aponte; Chad Eiken; Kate Drennan; Anthony Tortorici; and Chad Eiken. Thanks also to SBI staff Stacey Williams and Ally McGuire (our Chapter Office and Conference coordinator staff), for their help as well.  

This year’s Auction was a positive learning experience that raised a lot of money for planning student scholarships in Washington. The Auction will be back with a “bigger and better than ever” event at next year’s annual conference in Spokane. Start thinking about what you can contribute next year (as well as saving up for it!!).