BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

As a means of hopefully raising both funds and awareness, the Launchers Athletics throwing club will host a fundraising auction on the theme ‘Our Kids, Our Future’.

The event will be Saturday evening, April 26 at the Port Williams Community Centre. Admission is free and event organizer and Launchers’ head coach Steve Wohlmuth is looking forward to a fun evening with lots of great auction items.

While the focus of the auction is partly to “raise funds and increase exposure of a young and growing club,” Wohlmuth says, “it’s not all about us.

“We see ourselves as filling a leadership role in the community so we’re also looking to support programs that help all youngsters,” not just the athletic ones. For that reason, a portion of the proceeds will be given to the Valley Child and Developmental Association.

Wohlmuth, a Global Geography teacher at Central Kings Rural High as well as a coach, said he isn’t exactly a stranger to organizing fundraising events.

He helped to organize an auction for the Metro Tourism Association in Halifax, and other similar events to help Central Kings students raise money for school trips.

Amazing auction items

Each time, “the slant on the celebrity has gotten bigger.” For the April 26 event, he has “around 20 celebrity items from Hollywood and sport,” and the list continues to grow.

Autographed photos and other memorabilia include items from such celebrities as Tom Brady, Mats Sundin, Jim Carrey, Arnold Palmer, Chris Bosh, Eric Clapton, John Travolta, Tim Allen, Bob Barker, Harrison Ford, Hayden Christensen, Sidney Crosby, Mike Weir, Henry Winkler and Robert Munsch.

Asked if he had personal connections to any of these celebrities, Wohlmuth said the collection was obtained mostly by writing letters.

“I wrote my first letter about six months ago,” he says. “My first reply, from Arnold Palmer, arrived within 10 days of my mailing the letter.”

Travolta, Allen, Barker (the recently-retired host of TV’s ‘The Price is Right’) and Carrey “were also quick responders.” Travolta’s package arrived with two autographed photos, one for the auction and one personally inscribed to Wohlmuth.

The parents of one of the Launchers athletes from the South Shore connected with Bridgewater native Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins, with the results being a Bruins cap and sweater autographed by the entire team and an autographed sweater from Murray.

The cast of This Hour has 22 Minutes “responded within three days” with a mug and a T-shirt autographed by the cast members.

In addition, the club acquired a few other items of sports and celebrity memorabilia from reputable memorabilia outlets in Montreal and Texas.

“It has been so well received,” Wohlmuth said, adding that both Winkler and Munsch sent along autographed copies of children’s books they had either written or co-written.

‘Real impact on the community’

“I feel good about it because it will hopefully allow us to help a wide range of kids, both with abilities and disabilities, and have a real impact on the community. A big part of what we wanted to do was incorporate and showcase local businesses.”

The business community was approached, with a good response. In particular, Stage 2 Furniture and Appliances in Port Williams “stepped up and donated our ‘marquee item’,” a front-loading dishwasher and dryer laundry centre.

The evening will include a live auction of 10 of the larger items and a silent auction of the remaining objects. As well, a contest is planned, with donated food items from Atlantic SuperStore, that Wohlmuth calls The Real Atlantic SuperStore ‘The Price Is Right’.

Coffee and cheesecake will be available at a modest cost, but otherwise admission is free. Early viewing and pre-bidding will take place between 1-4 p.m., with the auction itself getting underway at 7.

“It’s important for us to get the word out and get people talking about it,” he said. “If anyone wants to reserve a table, we’d be happy to do that. Just call me at 542-4848.”