LECOM Student Scholarship Auction Ends on High Note

Nov. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- Erie, PA – It was a night of friendly competitive bidding and fun for a great cause.  The 17th Annual Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Scholarship Auction was held Friday, Nov. 5, 2010, at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pa.  More than 800 guests attended the gala event which benefited the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.      
           Attendees placed generous bids on more than 400 silent and 37 live auction items.  A two-year lease on a 2011 Mazda 3 from Contemporary Motorcar of Erie attracted heavy bidding.  Auctioneer Tim Rocco shouted sold at $7,500.  Other live items included a round of golf for three at the Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh, tickets to professional and college sporting events, trips to Las Vegas, New York City and Hawaii, fine jewelry, beautiful artwork, and a commemorative basketball signed by all 28 of the 2010 NBA All-Stars.  The live and silent auctions brought in more than $153,000 for the scholarship fund.
           The night’s honored guests included Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott, former Erie Mayor Joyce Savocchio, State Senator Jane Earll, Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri, State Representative John Hornaman, Judge Stephanie Domitrovich, newly elected Congressman Mike Kelly and former Congressman Phil English.
           Former Cleveland Indians Joe Charboneau and Len Barker were guests of Karl Falk, D.O.  Charboneau was the 1980 American League Rookie of the Year and Barker pitched a perfect game on May 15, 1981, one of only twenty pitchers in major league history to accomplish that feat.  The former players entertained the guests at their tables with stories of life in the Major Leagues in the early 1980s and recounted some of their famous accomplishments.  They also signed autographs for guests.  
           Robert George, D.O., Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton proudly presented John Ferretti, D.O., LECOM President and C.E.O., with a check in the amount of $126,837.38.  The money was raised at LECOM Bradenton’s successful Sixth Annual Student Scholarship Auction held on October 16, 2010, in Sarasota, Florida.
           Final numbers are not available yet, but for every dollar raised for the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund, LECOM’s Board of Directors will match the amount, which will provide close to two million dollars for scholarships for medical and pharmacy students.  Many LECOM students also served as volunteers at the auction, and were appreciative of the hundreds of guests and donors who made the night such a success.

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About LECOM: The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and LECOM School of Pharmacy offer innovative and affordable education in osteopathic medicine and pharmacy. From campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania, Greensburg, Pennsylvania and Bradenton, Florida, LECOM provides student-centered pathways to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals. Prepare yourself for medicine as your life’s profession.