Georgia State became an auction house Monday night as the Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed business fraternity hosted their annual Date Auction.
This year, half of the proceeds went towards their normal scholarship fund, the Roy J. Kerlegan III Scholarship, while the other half was donated to Josiah Dardin, a four-year-old cancer patient. While his cancer is in remission, the cost of the treatment has left the family with financial hardship.
“We’re just trying to help out with his medical bills,” said Victor Johnson, who organized the event.
Ending prices for the contestants ranged anywhere from $55 to over $300. With all proceeds going towards charitable causes, students had no hesitation in placing their bids.
“We had amazing support from the Georgia State community,” Johnson said. “They came out, they saw the trend and they saw what it was for and they made it happen. They’re the reason it happened tonight.”
The event received some social media buzz as the phrase “#gsudateauction” garnered many mentions via twitter.
“I feel like the event was very well put together,” student Erikka Hardick said. “It was very fun and had a lot of crowd interaction.”
Kirsten Williams, the co-organizer of the event, appreciated the support from the community to keep Johnson’s memory alive.
“[The event] was definitely successful,” said “We had 602 seats and we had to bring out more. We definitely have been successful and every person has bid over $50. That’s something we can be proud of.”
All winners of the auction and the contestants will go on a group date at Mango Caribbean Restaurant. The establishment has covered the cost of the meals up to $250.
Young Josiah shyly looks at the crowd.
Diamond Miller sells herself to potential bidders.
