In a small room in Drumlins Country Club, donated items from all over the world are packed into stacks of numbered boxes. These items will all soon be part of the Sport Management Club’s auction to benefit Special Olympics New York.

The club’s eighth annual Charity Sports Auction will take place at the Carrier Dome in the backcourt during the Syracuse Orange basketball game against the Monmouth Hawks on Dec. 8. In addition, the club will hold an online auction from Dec. 3-16 with similar items that will also benefit the Special Olympics.

The Sport Management Club’s goal is to raise $40,000 so it can fund the seasons of 100 Special Olympics athletes, each of which costs $400, said Steve Kozar, chairman of the event. Kozar said he thinks this auction will be able to surpass last year’s $30,444.

“It is a cool, attainable goal,” he said. “We wanted to help out 100 people so that we can say these 100 people were specifically helped out from us.”

All the proceeds from the auction will go directly toward funding athletes’ expenses, said Carly Raimo, a sophomore sport management major and co-chair of the program committee.

The Special Olympics is an organization that encourages people with intellectual disabilities to develop fitness, make new friends and gain confidence. Athletes participating in the Special Olympics compete in 22 sports events year-round, according to an auction fact sheet.

The organization strives to subsidize the cost of athlete participation through donations and fundraisers like the Sport Management Club charity auction, according to the fact sheet.

Doors open and bidding begins at 5 p.m. and continues until the buzzer sounds to indicate the start of the second half of the basketball game, according to the fact sheet.

About 550 items will be auctioned off that appeal to different ages and genders, including sports memorabilia, sports game tickets, electronics, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, signed photos, attraction tickets, DVDs and books, said Kozar, the chairman.

Specific items available for bidding include an Apple iPad, a basketball signed by Jim Boeheim, a football signed by Doug Marrone, a Pandora bracelet, an New York Giants Greatest Games DVD and a Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Gift Pack, according to the fact sheet.

The club obtained these items by reaching out to more than 1,600 connections it has established over the years, Kozar said.

He said he believes the group will be able to raise more money because it has 150 more items to auction off than ever before.

“All the members have done a great job in doing their part and doing more than they are supposed to be doing,” he said. “They have gone above and beyond. It is unbelievable.”

It was the responsibility of students involved in coordinating the auction to reach out to businesses, foundations and alumni to secure items, Raimo said.

This event gives the students involved in the Sport Management Club a connection to the Syracuse community and gives them the opportunity to give back, according to the fact sheet.

Said Kozar: “We’re going to be here four years, and we want to give back to the community we are a part of.”

Published on December 6, 2012 at 2:52 am

Contact Carrie: [email protected]