On Saturday November 20th, Ambient DJ provided music at a silent auction held at Hightstown Engine Co. #1 in Hightstown, NJ. This event was a fundraiser benefiting the John Paul Geijer (pronounced 'guy-er') Memorial Foundation. John Paul Geijer was a family man of Hightstown who was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 2003, and passed away in 2006 after a courageous fight. Born in Ohio in 1940, John's life work included coaching sports for some thirty years for his son, John, and daughter, Jacqueline, as well as teaching religious education at St. Anthony of Padua in Hightstown. Additional details of John's story can be read here.
The goal of the Foundation is to save lives and prevent others from the ravages of prostate cancer. For example, the Foundation funds prostate cancer screenings for those in financial need. It also has established prostate cancer libraries in local hospitals. According to statistics, one in six American males will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime! Yes, this is bad news, but the good news is that if detected early, prostate cancer is highly treatable. That is why it is so critical to get tested early and often, before the cancer becomes metastatic, spreading to other areas of the body.
Many people turned out for the event, to support a great cause and also for a chance to take home some outstanding items donated by local businesses and individuals. After dining on a delicious spread of food, guests were offered three opportunities to win:
(1) door prizes announced throughout the evening;
(2) "tricky trays" - guests placed tickets in bags for items of interest, with a winner drawn by random; and
(3) silent auction - using their assigned registration #, guests bid on items of interest. There was an extensive inventory of items, including sports memorabilia, toys, designer sunglasses, a dinner cruise, restaurant gift certificates and DVD sets.
In terms of my job, I played dinner music - primarily oldies, and then moved into more upbeat fare while guests were bidding, creating an exciting auction environment. I also shared emceeing duties, keeping guests informed about the rules, and gently motivating them to bid generously!
At 8 PM, bidding was closed, and Terri Geiger (John's wife) took the microphone and did a great job of drawing the prize winners for the Tricky Trays and getting the silent auction winners checked out. After Terri's announcements were concluded, I fielded requests and kept the children entertained with current dance hits by the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Justin Bieber.
I was quite excited that my bid was sufficient to win a four hour private cruise on a 1962 yacht around New York Harbor for up to four people! I also won a "30 Rock" prize pack, with DVD packages for all four seasons, at a bargain price. Unfortunately, somebody outbid me in the final moment for an amazing DVD prize package with crime drama seasons including Miami Vice and NYPD Blue.
To follow and support the ongoing activities of The John Paul Geijer Memorial Foundation, you can join their Facebook Fan Page, or else visit www.johnpaulgeijer.org. Thank you to all who came out to support this great cause!
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