Carrie Contey, PHD.

December 09, 2011

I love giving and I love winning…

and tonight I had the pleasure of doing both!

My dearest and perhaps most talented friend, Jennifer Elsner, invited me to attend an event for DiscoverHOPE this evening. I didn’t know much about the organization but I was happy to spend time with Jennifer so I decided to tag along. And here’s what happened.

First, the organization is doing great work, offering microcredit to women’s collectives in Latin America. But the women do not only receive loans to start a small business, they also receive personalized education to empower success.

To help support their mission DiscoverHOPE hold and annual benefit. There was food, there were drinks, there was a silent auction… AND there was a live auction. This was my first real live auction, with a real live auctioneer. This woman was amazing. She was so enthusiastic, almost electric. And she was working the room. The first item up for bid was a Dell computer system. The crowd went wild and the bidding began. I was thoroughly enthralled by the competition, but not interested in the item. The second item up for bid was a seven night stay in a beachfront condo in Florida, PLUS $500 in travel money. The bidding started and I just couldn’t resist. The energy was so contagious and it seemed so fun to get in on the bidding. After the first bid, just for fun, I decided to jump in. I was quickly outbid but thrilled to be in the game and decided to bid again. After about 5 bids I was the front runner, but surely someone was going to top my offer. But they didn’t, and I won! I won the prize AND I supported a really awesome cause.

I love giving and I love winning.