Raising over $80,000 in 2014 for St. Jude Children’s Foundation, Polk Auction Company owner Jeff Polk knows they’ve set a high bar to beat during the Second Annual Benefit Auction for St. Jude Children’s Foundation this weekend.
But they’re going to try anyway.
“Of course, we set the goal high the first year – we want to beat it, we’re going to try. The ultimate figure last year – the bar was set awful high. But we’re going to work our tails off to try to raise some more for these children,” Polk said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
The second annual Benefit Auction will be part of the 32nd Annual Labor Day Weekend Auction Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Polk Auction Company, 72435 Ind. 15, New Paris.
“Ten years ago my nephew (Andon Zehring) was diagnosed with a brain tumor (Glioblastoma). They didn’t give him any hope to live,” Polk said.
When he was diagnosed with the aggressive type of cancer in his brain, Polk said Andon – the son of Brian and Polk’s sister Janelle Zehring – was at Riley Hospital for Children. “But due to St. Jude’s research and their remedies and experimental chemo and radiation, he’s going to be turning 10.”
St. Jude has been “near and dear” to Polk’s heart and he was trying to figure out ways to give back to it.
“Willie 103.5 each year does that radio telethon (for St. Jude) that just wrecks my heart. So last year, with the help of my secretary, Kriss Barker, we got our heads together and teamed up with Willie 103.5. We spread the word and raised a little over $80,000 direct for the children of St. Jude’s,” Polk recalled.
He said they were very surprised at the total, since Polk’s goal was only $30,000.
“There were multiple donations, but we had one tractor – that typically is an $800 to $1,000 tractor, it’s kind of common – but when we sold it, the first buyer said sell it again. He donated it back. We ended up selling that thing 17 times. And that one little tractor raised almost $30,000 because people kept consigning it back,” Polk said.
Additionally, the pie-in-the-face last year raised almost $8,000, which they will do again this year. Barker said this year the Polk Auction Company employee who receives the most cash in their donation can will get the pie in the face. The rights to throw that pie also will be auctioned off for St. Jude Saturday.
“It was an emotional time last year how people – the giving group that come here as buyers or attendants of my auction – (stepped up). It was pretty neat to see. It was just a good heartfelt group. It was neat,” Polk said.
Of the 70 items consigned in so far for the Benefit auction, 12 are tractors. One hundred percent of the funds raised from those 70 items will go directly to St. Jude.
“And we’re always willing to take more consignments,” Barker said. “Or straight-up donations.”
Polk said a tractor donated to the St. Jude Benefit Auction is tax deductible. “And it helps save the life of a struggling child,” he added.
Donation cans will be at the auction for people to contribute to St. Jude. Representatives of St. Jude and Willie 103.5 will be at the auction, with live broadcasts Friday and Saturday.
The Benefit Auction will start at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday, with the smaller items auctioned off Friday and the big items, including tractors, sold Saturday.
At the Friday auction, Polk’s wife, Christy, will auction off the rights to cut her hair. She is donating her hair to Pantene Pro-V, with the money going to St. Jude.
Saturday, Willie 103.5 will offer up Luke Bryan concert tickets to be auctioned off.
If a person can’t attend the auction, Polk said they can accept monetary donations for St. Jude. A receipt for donations will be provided by St. Jude. Checks should be made out to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“The kids need it more than we do,” Polk said.
For any donations, contact Barker at kriss@polkauction.com or toll free at 877-915-4440.
“I want to raise as much as I can for these kids,” Polk stated. “Because they (St. Jude) saved my nephew’s life.”
The 32nd Annual Auction will have over 900 tractors consigned, with a total of over 4,000 lots to be sold Thursday, Friday and Saturday. More is expected by the start of the auction Thursday. The regular auctions start at 8:30 a.m. each day.
Items up for auction range from collector tractors, signs, toys and pedal tractors to farm equipment and hit-and-miss engines.
“Anything that is collectible that is agriculture related, it’s pretty well here,” Polk said.
Thirty-eight states were represented at the 2014 Labor Day Weekend Auction, Polk said, as well as other countries like Belgium, South Africa, Canada, Holland and Australia. There’s also live Internet bidding so people can bid on items from home.
The public is welcome to come to the auction, Polk said.
(Story By The Times Union)
