"Havana Nights" Raises More Than a Quarter of a Million Dollars
“Havana Nights” was the theme of the night, as more than 325 guests enjoyed the 27th annual Butler Benefit Auction on March 1st. The auction is the largest fundraiser for the Butler Community College Foundation.
Evan (’00) and Angie Funk served as honorary chairs for the event. Butler alumnus Austin Clift (’10) emceed for the evening and Jeremy Sundgren served as auctioneer. The event raised $262,000 to support the Foundation in its mission to provide scholarships and academic opportunities for students.
Highlights of the night included the auctioning of two Goldendoodle puppies which went for over $8,000, and four luxury suite tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs home game, with VIP parking and all-inclusive food and drink, for $13,000. The puppies were donated by Julie Smith of Riverwood Doodles and the Chiefs tickets were donated by Gary and Gretchen Oborny of Occidental Management and Auburn Wine & Spirits East.
Current Butler students representing the livestock judging team, BCTV, the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program, Butler athletics, and the Fine Arts department made significant contributions to the evening’s success.
More than $62,000 was raised during the Pure Philanthropy portion of the evening, in which bidders donated directly to scholarships for students instead of bidding on a specific auction item. Portions of this year’s Pure Philanthropy funds will go toward establishing a scholarship in honor of Butler President Dr. Kim Krull’s retirement.
Those interested in attending, sponsoring, or donating to next year’s auction on March 7, 2025, should contact Jennifer Green-Miracle at 316-323-6338 or jgreenmiracl@butlercc.edu.
Photos from the 2024 Auction can be found here.
Butler Benefit Auction Sponsors
