News

An Insider's Look at the Dream Team Silent Auction
By Laura Eckert Thompson
MagicMeets correspondent

May 16, 2008

It's tough for Pat Whitson to pick a favorite moment out of her ongoing association with the Dream Team Project. For example, before the 2007 MagicMeets auction, which went on to raise $9,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she had an "Aha!" moment that really summed up the gravity of her cause. She had the entire team around her, just going through some last minute details, and noticed everyone's excitement and anticipation.

She thought to herself, "Wow, this thing is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined and I am so fortunate to be a part of it."

What follows is the meat of a question-and-answer exchange Whitson recently had with MagicMeets newsletter editor Laura Eckert Thompson, and it offers a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes of what's become a MagicMeets staple event.

Q: How and why did you come to be involved in the Dream Team Project?

A: When I first bought Lou's first volume of "The Walt Disney World Trivia Book," I visited the DisneyWorldTrivia.com Web site and discovered that he was donating a portion of the proceeds from the sales of his book and merchandise on the site to the "Dream Team Project." That really impressed me, and contributed to my getting involved with the forums on the site. As time went on and I got to know Lou, I wanted to do more to help.

The auction idea came originally from a conversation with another forum member, Kellie, who also became a very good friend of mine. Kellie and I had been talking about the latest efforts Lou had been making for the Dream Team Project - I think it was a "dollar-a-thon" - and about fundraising efforts she was involved in for her school's alumni association. Her association held an annual auction, and she off-handedly commented that something like that would be a great way to raise money for the Dream Team Project.

I brought the idea of having an auction at the 2006 DisMeets to Lou, who talked to Fred, and they agreed it was a great idea. Unfortunately, Kellie couldn't attend that DisMeet, so I wound up in charge.

Q: How exactly would you describe your duties throughout the year?

A: Well, starting the day after the last Magic Meet, we analyze what worked and what needed some tweaking.

(Then there's) writing press releases, encouraging people all year to think about donations, coordinating with Fred, gathering the auction volunteer team and leading the brainstorming of ideas, planning the logistics of the auction - everything from the table layouts to the boxes for the risers to how the items will be wrapped to the procedures for bidding to the very last detail. We also store donated items and organize them into appropriate lots. We host a"wrapping party weekend." (For that, volunteers converge on my Long Island home for a full weekend of wrapping and photographing the lots, along with some fun.)

I create the page on our Web site for the auction, write the press releases, and run previews of the auction lots in the forums.

I'm the head cheerleader, janitor, ambassador, and mover. (You should see how much we pack into my car to get all this stuff to PA!) Basically, if it has to do with this auction, I'm your gal.

Q: What has being involved meant to you personally?

A: Working with the Dream Team Project has been and continues to be a highlight of my life. To be able to do something that makes a difference, in a way that affects a child and their family so personally, is an extraordinary feeling.

I have been blessed with healthy children. This is a small way I can do something that helps someone who hasn't been as fortunate. On top of that, there have been many wonderful memories created, and many friends made. The spirit and enthusiasm everyone has for this project is so invigorating. Watching what we do continue to inspire more people to get involved, to take on their own fundraising efforts for the Dream Team Project, and working with Lou to make even more Disney Magic in the future are things I look forward to.

Q: How do you go about selecting and putting together what's available at the auction? Do ideas just come to you during the course of the year? Do other folks donate things or offer suggestions?

A: We rely 100 percent on donations. Even if someone on the auction team buys something that goes into a basket to be auctioned, it comes out of their own pocket.
The only requirements we have for auction items are that they must be Disney related, and that they must be in new condition, or collectible (something unique or desirable regardless of age).

The auction features three main categories of lots:

• Theme baskets, which includes Disney merchandise, toys, games, books, and other items bundled together and nicely presented.
• Collectibles & art, which also includes pins and hand-made items like scrapbooks.
  
• What we call "Showstoppers," those items so unique or special you just have to place a bid.

For the baskets, we have a brainstorming period where the auction team comes up with themes, and we will post a "wish list" of items on the DisneyWorldTrivia.com forums.
This year we'll also be seeking basket sponsors, offering the opportunity to donate money we can use to purchase items for that theme instead of donating actual items that may be cumbersome to ship.

My volunteers are superb shoppers and can find the greatest deals and coolest items to make these theme baskets really special. Also, people contact me throughout the year, through the forums or e-mail, saying "I have such-and-such an item, can you use it for the auction?" and we gladly take it off their hands. So a random donation of something may spark another theme for a basket.

The collectibles are largely donations that people contact me about, or we take advantage of opportunities during the year. For example, this year we will be offering a Mickey Mouse ornament signed by artist Jim Shore. Mr. Shore was at Walt Disney World last December, and Lori, one of our team members, bought the ornament and got it signed just so she could donate it to the auction.

We also have a spectacular selection of jumbo pins and merchandise from the special Adventures on the Seven Seas Lagoon event held last year for the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean 3, donated by a long-time DisneyWorldTrivia.com member and Dream Team supporter.

The real highlight though is the Showstoppers category. These lots are mostly the ideas of the donors, though in a few cases we have asked specifically for something. Last year, the Showstoppers included the Illuminations party tickets from Deb Wills and the personal Hidden Mickeys tour given by Steve Barrett - which I am very pleased to say he is offering again this year.

These are items and experiences that you just can't get anywhere. And we have some really great things planned for this year! Tim Devine is donating another beautiful piece of framed art, a stunning photograph of Cinderella Castle that has been given a watercolor treatment and will be printed on canvas.

Nancy and Ray Harkness are donating an exquisite Mickey quilt made by Nancy, a very talented crafter. It will be a wonderful addition to someone's home. I don't want to give too many things away just yet, but we have much more to come!

Q: The proceeds topped $9,000 at the 2007 meet. How did it feel to more than double the proceeds from the 2006 meet?

A: Surreal. We had to add up the numbers three times to be sure we had the total right!
Then we had to wait for Lou's talk to end before we could make the announcement of the total. I was sitting on the floor in the far back end of the room, behind the tables, shaking, alternating between laughing and crying with joy. All I could think about was how that money was going to make a difference in the lives of some children who really needed the Disney Magic - that and how Lou was going to react to the total!

We made sure he was sitting down last year. Hopefully, this year we'll need a chair for Fred, too!

Going in to the auction, I was expecting maybe $5,000, hoping we could reach $6,000 - $9,000 never even entered the realm of possibility in my mind. The generosity of Disney fans will never cease to amaze me. That said, I hope that they can truly knock my socks off again this year!

Laura Eckert Thompson is a freelance writer, roving MagicMeets editor and dyed-in-the-wool Disney Geek.

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