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Tailgating for a cause

2016 Silver and Gold Charity Auction

Up for auction, a football signed by Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman. Photo credit: SOSA-WA

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This Saturday night the Khaki community will come together for one of the biggest fundraisers Naval Base Kitsap will see this year, the 2016 Silver and Gold Charity Auction. Over 350 submarine officers, chiefs and their guests will fill the Bangor Plaza Ballroom, leaving behind uniforms and salutes in favor of football jerseys and high fives, to celebrate the theme of the evening, Tailgates and Touchdowns.

With nearly 250 items up for sale and bid, including a football personally signed by Seahawks fan favorite, #25 Richard Sherman, there is definitely something for everyone at this event, and with a handpicked team of Masters of Ceremony to include Captain Mark Schmall, Captain James Childs, Captain Brian Humm, and Command Master Chief Ted Calcaterra, a good time is guaranteed. To add to the allure of the evening, Auction Chairman Laura Radspinner teases, "We have a few big surprises in store that no one will see coming."

Over two dozen volunteers from the Submarine Officers' Spouses' Association - Washington Chapter as well as volunteers from sub base commands and the Chief spouse community have worked tirelessly for nearly eight months planning and organizing the event, soliciting donations, and drumming up publicity all in the name of charity, namely the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation.

The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation was created in 1960 to provide financial aid for the undergraduate education of the dependents of qualified submariners. From the beginning, scholarships were funded by submarine officers' spouses' organizations around the country, and to this day the official Submarine Officers' Spouses' Association continues to be a major contributor to the foundation with many chapters hosting similar Silver and Gold Charity Auctions each year. Currently, the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation sponsors 117 students who receive annual scholarships of either $2,000 or $3,400, with a scholarship potential of $13,600 over eight college semesters. To date, nearly $10 million in scholarships have been distributed to college students across the United States. For more information about the Dolphin Scholarship or to donate to the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation, visit www.dolphinscholarship.org.

Organizers hope to meet and possibly exceed last year's final total of close to $32,000 in donations. Seventy-five per cent of funds raised at this Saturday's event will benefit The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation. The remaining 25 percent will be awarded to local charities that benefit Navy and Marine Corps families. Last year, over $23,000 was donated to the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation and nearly $8,000 went to the local Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Mrs. Radspinner, who brings years of non-profit fundraising experience to the table, says all the long hours and hard work it took to get to this point are well worth it as this event is especially important to her. "I think the Silver and Gold Charity Auction is such a wonderful night. It combines everything that is great about our community: working together, having a great time, and supporting a fantastic cause."

Silver and Gold Charity Auction, 1700, Saturday, March 12, Bangor Plaza Ballroom, Naval Base Kitsap. For ticket information, visit www.sosawa.org/silver-and-gold-auction.

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