Adam Wright, far left, and Brad Cassin are joined by City Councilor Mary O’Connell on the Westfield Kiwanis TV Auction anchor desk, as two Westfield State University student volunteers man the cameras. The March 1 auction was the Kiwanis Club’s most successful in its 64-year history. (Photo submitted)
by GEORGE DELISLE
[email protected]
Westfield Kiwanis Club
WESTFIELD – Despite some rough weather and a computer glitch or two, members of the Greater Westfield community came through for the Westfield Kiwanis Club on March 1, helping the club’s 46th annual TV Auction set an all-time sales record.
A computer problem delayed the start of the auction for about half an hour until about 12:30 p.m. Despite that, bidding was fast and furious on more than 300 items Westfield Club members collected from about 120 local businesses and private donors.
The auction was aired on the city’s local community access channel in the city of Westfield and the town of Southwick, and was streamed live on the Internet. The program aired from the Westfield State University television studio in Westfield. Reports from the university’s streaming service indicated that as many as 500 viewers were watching the program on-line at any given time, and there were successful bidders who watched the program in Connecticut, New Jersey and Indiana, according to Auction Chairman and Kiwanis President-Elect Kevin C. O’Connor.
The Kiwanis auction effort is an all-hands-on-deck affair for club members, O’Connor said, with most of the club’s 60-plus members taking a role. The auction is coordinated by a committee which includes co-chair and club vice-president Geana Delisle, club president Paul Nunez, Brad Cassin, Katrina Dziedzic, George Delisle, and Adam Wright
The auction was publicized in the Westfield News and Pennysaver, which was the event’s print media sponsor, as well as in the Republican of Springfield. O’Connor said the snowstorm which occurred on auction day likely kept more viewers indoors and in front of their television sets, contributing to record sales of more than $45,000.
The auction, which originated in 1969 on a local AM radio station, has been the Westfield Kiwanis Club’s primary fund-raising apparatus for many years. The auction has figured prominently in the clubs support of many community agencies and programs, including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield and Westfield Little League Baseball, both founded by Kiwanis, as well as youth leadership clubs in Westfield schools, the Westfield chapter of the American Red Cross, the Westfield Athenaeum Boys & Girls Library, and area food pantries and soup kitchens.
Auction hosts Adam Wright, George Delisle and Brad Cassin took a break from their auctioneering duties to remember the late Ted Perez, Sr., owner of East Mountain Country Club and a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club. Perez, who passed away in 2013, was recognized as one of the founders of the TV Auction. Perez’s wife Maria and son, Ted Perez, Jr., were present in the studio for the tribute.
