2011 Auction of Champions: September 22, 2011
Record-breaking year for Auction of Champions
The Auction of Champions, held September 22 at RiverEdge Golf Course in Marshfield, raised a record-breaking $245,000 to benefit the work of the National Farm Medicine Center. (See slide show below.)
The final bid item - a surprise not listed on the auction program - was a life-sized fiberglass cow hand-painted by Marshfield resident Victoria Mesa, whose husband,Juan Mesa, M.D., FACC, is a cardiologist at the Clinic. Mesa spent two months developing the concept for the cow's mural - a bucolic Wisconsin farm, seen through stalks of corn. It took her three weeks to paint.
"I wanted to honor the beautiful land and people of central Wisconsin and Marshfield," Mesa said. "It's wonderful, especially because I can give back."
The cow fetched $11,000 - an amount equal to the entire proceeds of the first auction, held in 1982. A Park Falls woman who wished to remain anonymous bought the cow as well as an accompanying life-sized fiberglass calf, on which Mesa will paint a scene of the winning bidder's choosing.
The auction's record-breaking proceeds exceeded last year's amount by $48,000, according to Jill Kurszewski, Development Department annual giving and special events coordinator. To date, the auction has raised more than $2.2 million.
All funds raised will be used locally, said NFMC Director Barbara Lee, Ph.D. The Farm Center was established 30 years ago to address occupational health problems seen in farm patients coming to the Clinic. Besides supporting existing initiatives such as the peer-reviewed Journal of Agromedicine and certified training for Wisconsin medical practitioners via the AgriSafe Network, the funds will help implement aspects of the Wisconsin Dairy Workers Safety and Health Initiative.
Special thanks to major sponsors of the event:
- Champion sponsor - Boldt Company
- Platinum sponsor - Miron Construction
- Gold sponsors- Element Mobile, H&S Manufacturing Company, Schalow's Nursery and Security Health Plan.
For additional information please contact:
Joe Baierl
Marshfield Clinic, Development Department
715-389-3899 or 1-800-858-5220
