In the past three years, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Auction has experienced a great deal of growth, says founder and organizer Sean Hogan. ‘The first year I think we raised $900, the second $1000 and last year about $3500.”
The fourth annual auction is slated to happen on Friday March 13th at the Texas Lounge, where it has been consistently hosted. The charity auction is poised to raise much needed funds for Beswick House, Hogan’s charity of choice.
“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to Beswick house. They are always in need of something, be it bed sheets, pots and pans, little things. Government cutbacks have not helped.” But he has high hopes for this year; everyone working on the project has committed countless volunteer hours to make sure it runs smoothly.
The SHARP Foundation (Society Housing for AIDS/HIV Restricted Persons) established in 1990 has been working within the Calgary community providing a range of care to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.
The foundation has been committed providing a variety of essential services including housing, health care and family/community support. They rely largely on donations and fundraising from the Calgary Community to make their work possible. Bars and local businesses have frequently gone the extra mile to help support this important organization. For instance, the Irish Auction is just one of many SHARP Foundation fundraisers that happens at the Texas Lounge throughout the year.
Beswick House is one of two housing complexes operated by the SHARP Foundation. Established in 1993, it provides 24-hour long term palliative support, serving a maximum capacity of ten people at a time. They seek to provide care to individuals often with dual diagnoses of HIV/AIDS and other problems that make managing the disease more difficult. They also deal with the stark reality of providing end of life care - the opportunity for someone dying to live out the remainder of their time in a comfortable home setting rather than in a bleak hospital room, can be a godsend.
The auction begins at 8pm, and will be hosted by Mystare and Coco who promise to give a stellar return performance. ‘They did a fantastic job last year, we all really enjoyed ourselves,” said Hogan. ”Alan and Andrew (owners of the Texas Lounge and Goliaths) have also been fantastic to work with!”
The auction list is available on their website, as well as on Facebook. Hogan warns that bidding can get “pretty intense” as there are some incredible things up for auction donated by a many Calgary businesses and individuals.
”It was something I wanted to do and it has taken off. I’m proud of it, and will continue to do it every year.”
