Mackensye Ancona caused a bidding war Wednesday night in the Emmons Hall lobby.

Three men squared off against each other for the prize of dating her.

“I feel pretty honored and respected,” Ancona, a Vermontville freshman said.

He didn’t just do it for fun — he also wanted to help children.

It was all part of a date auction put by the Fabiano, Woldt and Emmons hall councils to raise money for Invisible Children. Almost $200 was raised in total.

“We chose a date auction because it’s a great way to raise money,” said Ancona, who also helped organize the event, said. “People come because they don’t have to pay for the date.”

She was one of 23 people who strutted down a homemade runway. The participants danced, back flipped and beat-boxed down the aisle.
It wasn’t just students and cheerleaders either — yo-yo world champion Jake Maloney made an appearance.

Almost 70 students attended.

Novi sophomore Jodi Stratton was shocked the event attracted such an audience.

“We had a really great turnout. I thought only about six people would get auctioned off. I’m so happy because this is for a really good cause,” Stratton said.

Jackson freshman Cody Herrmann also participated in the show.

“Good causes bring people together,” Herrmann said. “This was a great and fun experience.”

Invisible Children is a non-profit organization that is working to overthrow the Lord’s Resistance Army.

LRA is a sectarian guerrilla group that abducts Ugandan children and violently forces them into serving as war slaves.

The money raised will go towards a number of efforts including reconstruction Uganda’s war-torn schools, providing scholarships for African children.

A jar will remain at the Emmons Hall desk until Sunday for donations.

E-mail the author: Elizabeth Gbadamosi