Clicked. Bid. Won!

WAA auction benefits big Badger community.

Badgers are fierce competitors. So it should come as no surprise that some heated bidding wars erupted during WAA's first-ever Big Badger Auction in spring 2007. Kay Meyer '73 of Wausau was the winning bidder on four infield tickets to a Brewers game and a behind-the-scenes tour of Miller Park. She planned to go to a Brewers game and donate to the university anyway, she says, "and this was a fun way to do it."

WAA invited alumni chapters throughout the country to catch the auction fever — and net 75 percent of the winning bids on items they donated. The Waukesha chapter donated the Brewers package to benefit area students attending UW-Madison. Through the university's matching-dollar scholarship program, "we hope to encourage a lifelong commitment to the UW and to the local community," says Waukesha County chapter president Sarah Ponath '88.

Thirteen alumni chapters participated in the inaugural e-auction, and, overall, more than 700 participants bid on 500-plus items. One of the hottest prizes — a pair of custom-made red-and-white Allen Edmonds shoes — went to Edward McGrath '97 of Wisconsin Rapids, who remarked, "It's nice that I finally have a pair that is equal in price to a pair that my wife has!"

Other favorites included a featured extra role in a Hollywood movie, box seats at a Cubs game, a game-day ride on the Bucky Wagon, a Bret Bielema autographed helmet, a Bucky Badger weather vane, and a year's supply of Babcock ice cream.

All auction proceeds support WAA's mission of enriching the lives of Badgers around the globe through lifelong learning programs, student scholarships, and other alumni services. WAA hosted another Big Badger Auction in fall 2007.

Estimated Value: Priceless

The top bid on lunch with Coach Bret Bielema was $2,200. A chance to conduct the beloved Fifth Quarter fetched $2,000. And proceeds from a special Big Badger Auction sponsorship — a summer internship with Google for a UW student — raised $8,200 for the Madison chapter of the national cancer support network, Gilda's Club.