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Rotary Club hosting online auction to raise funds for local scholarshipsFree Access



This photo was taken by Rotary Club member Aspen Hicks and is featured on the website hosting an auction to raise funds for scholarships.

This photo was taken by Rotary Club member Aspen Hicks and is featured on the website hosting an auction to raise funds for scholarships.

It is without question the Mariposa Yosemite Rotary Club has been one of the most giving organizations in the community for decades.

Each year, the club gives out thousands of dollars for causes ranging from youth sports to scholarships for local graduates.

“Our money goes back to this community,” said Bill Yaley, a longtime member of the club.

This year, though, things are different because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The problem is obvious when you consider how the Rotary Club raises its money each year.

There are three main fundraising events, said Yaley. Those are the golf tournament, the Art & Wine Festival and assisting with parking at the Mariposa County Fair.

In 2020, all three of those events have been canceled, leaving the club in need of finding another way to raise funds.

To do that, the club has organized an online auction with a wide variety of items donated by local groups, individuals and businesses.

Yaley said this auction is to raise money for scholarships for high school students. He emphasized that is the big push because the scholarship program has been one of the most successful for the club.

To date, the club has donated more than $300,000 in scholarships to local students.

The “memorial scholarships” are personal to Yaley. In fact, it was in 2004 when the first $500 scholarship was given to a local student. That scholarship was in the name of his daughter Molly Sue Yaley, who was killed in a tragic accident.

At the time, she was the only child of a Rotarian who had died. Sadly, there are now about 10 members who have lost children and all of the scholarships given each year are in memory of those children who died.

Yaley said over the years, the amount of scholarships given out has increased steadily, topping at $28,000 two years ago. The top male and female scholarships each year are $10,000 each, which goes a long way toward a student’s education.

“The recipients have been successful kids,” said Yaley.

He points to that success, noting some of them have went on to earn doctorate degrees, been in physical therapy, helped with domestic violence victims, an NFL executive, a Marine Corps officer and more.

“The high school has put out these wonderful students,” said Yaley.

Because of that, and because of the pandemic, the online auction was the way forward for Rotary, he said.

He stressed the money raised at this auction will go strictly to scholarships.

“We won’t use it for anything else,” said Yaley.

The club is hoping to raise $30,000 in the auction, which begins on Nov. 11 and runs through Nov. 24.

A preview of the items is already online and more prizes are being added daily.

Some of the prizes include stays at local vacation rentals, a football helmet signed by members of the San Francisco 49ers who are in the NFL Hall of Fame, cases of wine and much more. There is even a chance to bid on seats which came out of the Fiester Auditorium at Mariposa County High School, something many might find “priceless.”

Yaley especially noted four contributors who donated major prizes: Foster Ace Hardware, The Lair of the Golden Bear, Bullion Street Villa and Randy and Vicki Brower.

To view the items and to bid, once bidding opens, visit event.auctria.com/auction/rotaryscholarships2020. You can also Google “Mariposa Rotary Club Auction” and easily find the link.

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