Cofer scholars organize BBBS silent auction

Hotel packages, movies and hand-knit garments are some of the items bidders can win at the Big Brothers Big Sisters silent auction today.

The auction is a fundraiser for BBBS and ends today at 5 p.m. in the Bovee University Center Maroon, Gold and Chippewa rooms.

Minority Student Services, Multicultural Advancement Scholars and Lloyd M. Coffer Award of Distinction winners are running the auction. Last year, the event raised $14,000.

The auction was put together and run mostly by the university’s Cofer scholars. New Lothrob grad student Carlos Rubio helped organize the event.

“All scholars either donated money or went out and purchased something for this,” he said.

Rubio was responsible for ensuring everyone purchased something and made sure there was a wide variety of items to auction.

The scholars chose Big Brothers Big Sisters because all thought it was a good organization that needed funds.

“They’re (the organization) really struggling this year, so we wanted to give them more money,” said Rebecca Mercado-Thornton, Romulus senior and a peer adviser for the scholars.

“It’s an organization that always could use donations,” Rubio said.

Many of the scholars also participated in BBBS in high school.

Deidre Sayles, Farmington Hills freshman said mentorship was a positive experience for her.

“We’re college students and younger kids look up to us,” she said.

Sayles said many scholars were there because of the scholarship requirement, but she would have volunteered for it anyway.

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