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Contributions From A Great Man For Fundraising Auction

by Sujata Bhattacharya
(Calgary, Canada)

I had been in Birmingham city of Alabama during March 2006. Being a social activist, I was invited by a local mountaineering school to join their fund raising program for development of their school. They intended to buy some essential mountaineering equipment to climb up the different mountains. They were specially raising the funds to scale a pick in the North American mountains but I cannot remember the name of the pick right now. But they had a plan to raise as much money as possible so as they could use that not only for that imminent program but also for future wholesome development of their school. They wanted to knock every possibility and that's why they had invited me so that I could show them some possible ways.

For first two days, I was of no use for them except being present with them in their fund raising programs and requesting the people to help them as much as possible. But at the third day of their program one event made the entire table turned for us. I heard from a local newspaper that famous footballer David Beckham of England National Soccer team was to visit the town for commercial purposes. The idea clicked into my mind with that news.

With the help of one of my friend journalists, I arranged a meeting with Beckham for 15 minutes only. When I met him I, with all my eloquence and intelligence, had succeeded to convince him how important the sport mountaineering was for the future generations and how this school was struggling to promote this sport for the want of money. Finally, I had suggested Beckham that he did not need to pay any cash contribution but instead if he would be so generous to give us some of his belongings that he had used in the big games like the world cups, we would arrange an auction of them and would create funds with them.


Beckham was agreed immediately. He gave us altogether 12 items. Among these, a jersey and a headband were used in two world cups. We had arranged an online auction for those items. The response was incredible and from all around the globe. We could collect more than $10000 by selling those items.

I am still being highly esteemed by that mountaineering school for the idea I had supplied them to collect the funds. The school is now a highly flourished one, which is most important for me, and what I must not forget is that it was a great contribution from a great man.

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