With literal sunshine beaming into the Harbor Buick GMC service garage, the laughter and smiles of attendees provided figurative rays of light at the dealership’s first ever Quarter Paddle Auction.
Those that attended had the chance to place a “bid” on each item at a set price, ranging from 25 cents to $1 depending on the item. The auctioneer randomly drew a numbered ping pong ball to determine the winner of each item. Each bidder was in possession of a paddle with a number that corresponded to one of the ping pong balls. The items, each of which was valued at $40 or more, were donated by vendors and other community businesses.
All proceeds from the event will be given directly to The Caring Place women’s shelter in Valparaiso.
“We’ve given to other charities before, so we try to disperse it as much as we can,” GMC’s Melissa Ducharme said. “This is just to give back to the community; it’s not profitable to Harbor what-so-ever.”
Ducharme, who works in accounting, helped Debra Sizemore and Denise Carpenter orchestrate the event. Carpenter has been actively involved in charity work throughout Porter County both through GMC and through outside service. Most of the preparation was done in the month leading up to the auction.
“It did get a little hectic for us, because we’re only two or three people working on it,” Ducharme said. “We had to get the service drive set up and cleaned. A lot of our employees gave up their own personal time from their weekends to come in here and clean it. There were a lot of people that were willing to be supportive and donate for the event.”
The Portage IMAX, Texas Corral, Verona Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Texas Roadhouse, the Portage Flower Shop, Lil Saver, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and S & S Automotive were among those supporters. S & S Automotive, which is based out of Chicago, donated a remote start with installation included, a package valued at $250.
Saturday’s auction was the first of its kind held at Harbor Buick GMC. Ducharme said she anticipates interest in Harbor’s charitable events to boom if the dealership continues to hold gatherings of that nature.
“This is not just a Harbor Buick GMC event, this is an event that the community has put into,” she said.