Caring Angel Basket Auction under way
The 21st annual Caring Angel Basket Auction opened its bidding for 51 baskets this week.
The auction is part of the Caring Angel Program, which raises money to provide free emergency room care to children under 18 whose parents or guardians don't have insurance or the resources to pay.
Kris Bowser, development specialist and events manager for the Butler Health System Foundation, said the baskets are donated by the departments at Butler Memorial Hospital.
“The whole auction starts with the great baskets that are donated,” Bowser said. “That's why we're so successful.”
She said some departments may have five employees, while others have 50. She said the baskets also vary in scale with some breaking out of their woven limitations.
“They're not all baskets,” Bowser said. “We say baskets, but it's way more than that.”
Bowser said this year, some of the bigger “baskets” are a gun safe, kayaks and a tool chest with a variety of tools. She said some of the smaller traditional baskets are stuffed with such items as lottery tickets and gift cards.
Bowser said one of the most popular items so far is a portable generator.
“You have to really visit the room to really understand the capacity of these baskets,” Bowser said. “The basket auction is our largest fundraiser in our Caring Angel program.”
Bowser said the charity program has existed for 26 years. The auction, which started 21 years ago and has raised more than $2 million during that time, was once far simpler than the one that is operated today.
“This has grown from a few thousand the first year to what we're currently raising,” she said. “It started out as just an employee event, but now it's grown into the community.”
Bowser said the auction now raises close to $50,000 annually. She said about $20,000 is used each year for the goal of charitable care, and any remaining funds are given to the BHS Family Services — a service that provides individual and family counseling, child and adolescent intensive outpatient programs, parent-child interactive therapy and more.
“Every year, the auction is amazing,” Bowser said. “We would like to thank everyone for their support.”
The baskets can be previewed at www.butlerhealthsystem.org/BHS-Foundation, but tickets can only be purchased in person.
Bidders may purchase their tickets from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday until Dec. 13 at the Nixon/Sarver Education Center, located inside the Butler Memorial Hospital Tower.
For more information about the foundation or BHS Family Services, visit www.butlerhealthsystem.org.
