$50,000 raised in online charity auction for blind

Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB)

23 May 2006

6000 bids = $50,000 raised in online charity auction for blind

With nearly 100,000 visits and 6,000 bids, the RNZFB's online charity auction, Blind Bid, raised over $50,000 for blind, deafblind and vision-impaired New Zealanders.

"It was great to watch the bidding and the prices going up and up and a grand total of $50,615 is something to definitely write home about!" says Julie McMeeken, RNZFB National Events Co-ordinator and Blind Bid organiser.

"This is the third year we've held an online auction and it's proving very successful. Using the internet is also a cost effective way to fundraise and very much the way of the future."

Some of the winning bids include:
• $3,460 for a new website (up to a value of $10,000)
• $505 for lunch with Don Brash
• $340 to drive a 52 tonne Centurion tank
• $115 to feed Red Pandas at Wellington Zoo
• $95 for a month's supply of Abe's bagels delivered to you door
• $3631 for 13 Eyepro packages (up to the value of $500 each)

Hosted by TradeMe, Blind Bid ran for two weeks and closed on Monday.

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) is New Zealand's primary provider of vision-related services to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people.

Each year nearly 1,200 New Zealanders who have gone blind or experienced serious sight loss register as RNZFB members.

Just one-third of the RNZFB’s $21m annual operating budget comes from Government. The RNZFB has to raise the rest from donations, sponsorships and bequests.

ENDS

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