An unusual auction held recently in Naples raised almost $200,000 to help support local-area veterans' groups. About 300 people, including many veterans, attended the event, which was held at Artis-Naples.
At the Celebrity Martini Glass Auction, participants were able to bid on martini glasses signed by celebrities from sports, stars of show business, and political icons. In addition, artists designed the glasses to reflect the lives of those who signed them. Events like this can benefit if organizers use brochure printing to create a catalog of the auction items.
Among the glasses up for auction were those signed by Chris Sales, a pitcher for the Red Sox; the Moody Blues' bass guitarist John Lodge; and Mike Smith, a veteran jockey and Triple Crown winner. The most money was raised when two martini classes, one signed by the late President G.H.W. Bush and the other by his wife Barbara, brought in $25,000.
The event is the brainchild of Brenda Melton. She got the idea when she and nine girlfriends went to a local screening of “Sex and the City”.
Melton asked her friends to design martini glasses and bring them to the
film. What began as a fun evening has become an annual event that,
prior to the latest auction, had raised about $3 million--$2 million for
veterans, and another $1 for other charities. Starting in 2014,
proceeds have been given exclusively to veterans' organizations.