Halfway through their six-day auction, the Hopkinsville Rotary Club has raised $77,818 for the community college scholarship fund.
Auction chairman Scott Cowan said Rotarians sold 68 items at Wednesday’s auction for a total of $10,500. They also received $9,828 for the Hour Club, the main revenue source for the annual fundraiser. Hour Club donations are collected in increment of $174, the cost of tuition for one credit hour at Hopkinsville Community College.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, the Rotary Auction does not have a live audience at the Memorial Building. Supporters are listening to the auction on WHOP radio or watching a livestream. All bids are made over the phone.
Now in its 70th year, the auction has lost some of it revenue streams. The popular diner, for example, is not open because only Rotarians and volunteers are allowed in the Memorial Building this year.
Traditionally, the auction is in April. It was postponed this year because of the pandemic.
Cowan made a plea Wednesday night for more Hour Club donors.
“Please don’t forget about us. The need is great. We need your help,” he said.
The auction got a significant boost Tuesday when Planters Bank said it would match the next $5,000 in Hour Club donors. Part of the matched was earned Tuesday and remainder on Wednesday, Cowan told Hoptown Chronicle.
The auction will continue from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. until the last item is sold Saturday. Auction proceeds help pay for the Rotary Scholars program at Hopkinsville Community College. Every graduate of a public or private high school in Christian County is eligible, with at least a moderate grade-point average, for a two-year, full-tuition scholarship at HCC.
The number to call in bids is 270-885-7500. Hour Club pledges are made by calling 270-886-3034.
In addition to the WHOP broadcast, the auction runs on the Hopkinsville Rotary Club’s website and on Spectrum channel 376.
See our coverage of the 2020 Rotary auction:
- Hopkinsville Rotary Club postpones annual auction until Sept. 14
- Hopkinsville Rotary Auction, minus the live audience, starts Monday
- Hopkinsville Rotary Auction pulls in more than $50,000 on opening night
- Rotary Club gets a matching offer from Planters Bank to boost auction
- Halfway through Rotary Auction’s novel run, chairman makes plea for Hour Club donors
- Rotarians hit the $100,000 mark and head into final two nights of auction
- Rotary Auction pulls in a surprising total
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
