Toronto’s Finest Auction

May 16, 2011

Text by Holly Archer.

Photos by Kalynn Friesen.

Last Thursday, bachelors and bachelorettes teamed up with the Canadian Cancer Society to raise money for a great cause.

Toronto’s Finest Auction, which took place at Maison on Mercer, invited patrons to live-bid for a date, mostly dinner or lunch, with bachelors and bachelorettes who were twenty-something, including Toronto Maple Leafs player Mike Zigomanis.

Also auctioned off were ABC’s Bachelor Pad alumni Jessie Sulidis and Wes Hayden. Sulidis took home the title of the highest bid.

Two dates with Sulidis were auctioned off, and came to a total of $1,000 bid for a tour of Niagara Falls’ Peller Estates and a total of $800 bid for a lunch date.

A dinner date with Hayden was sold for $350.

Several bachelors were shy on stage – the tall, tanned DiCiano Twins smiled politely and played with flowers they were holding.

Leafs player Mike Zigomanis scuffed his feet on the spot and bashfully smiled at the crowd (though he did finish his bidding at $750, which was high for a bachelor, as the bachelorettes typically sold for more).

Some of the bachelors and bachelorettes were extremely extroverted – the dancing of three Naked News reporters/bachelorettes was definitely not for the Disney crowd.

Together, Christopher Bates and James Elliot performed a goofy striptease and sold for $500 each.

Though target goals this year were set at $100,000, the event co-ordinator, Kate Lloyd of IntriKate Events, says it was, “[A] successful [event].”

This year, the auction raised approximately $25,000.

Lloyd says co-ordinating this event was challenging because getting people in the door was difficult.

“There are so many events in Toronto … nobody wants to come to another charity event.” Despite this, Lloyd organized the event that was extremely high in attendance, with a fully-packed venue.

In the past, Lloyd has organized this event in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada. She finds the bachelors and bachelorettes through friends, word-of-mouth, people who have participated in previous years, and online, with social networking site Facebook.

Most of the money raised came from the live auction, and about a quarter of the money raised came from the silent auction, silent donations and ticket sales.

Silent auction prizes included a signed Leafs jersey, a Fairmont hotel package for two, a visit to Niagara on the Lake, fitness packages and Viarail train tickets. All of the events, dates and auction prizes were donated by sponsors.