Fifteen Capital Region bachelors can be yours on March 12, just name your price.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is holding a bachelor auction to raise awareness and funds on Saturday, March 12, at Vapor Night Club in Saratoga. The bachelors up for bid range in age and come with a date package they customized themselves.
I’m still working on it but I’m trying to get some kind of cooking class. I think it’s kind of different, I didn’t want to do dinner or a movie. This way we kind of break the ice and it’s a little competitive because I think I’m a good cook, said Everton Mclean, 31, of Albany.
This isn’t the first time Mclean has put himself on the auction block for a cause. This will be his third bachelor auction.
`It’s a good time to have fun, let your guard down a little bit, plus, you’re doing it for a good cause,` said Mclean.
The bachelor auction started out as a joke, said coordinator Marianne Reid, board chair for the regional AFSP chapter. When she suggested a bachelor auction jokingly to friends, they urged her to make it happen.
`I pitched it to Vapor and they were 100 percent on board. It’s really been word of mouth, people saying ‘I would so go do that,’ or ‘I know someone who would be perfect,’` said Reid.
Bidding on a date is something Reid said her brother would have loved. She lost him to suicide in 2007 at the age of 24. The auction is in his honor, in her heart at least.
`He would always make fun of me and my dating stories so it was always a joke between us. This is one thing I know if he were still here, would be laughing about it,` said Reid.
Reid said that according to statistics, suicide claims 34,000 lives each year and one person in the U.S. dies by suicide every 15 minutes. It’s the leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds and 90 percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death, said Reid.
Though the numbers are startling, suicide is sometimes a taboo topic, discussed in whispers or ignored all together. Reid wants the bachelor auction to be a fun way of getting people to talk about it and letting people know (those who have been affected by suicide and those who haven’t) that it’s okay to discuss.
`It’s a good opportunity to get people talking. It’s such a serious subject when we talk about suicide we have to celebrate life. We’re still here and need to take care of each other,` said Reid. `For me personally, I still think ‘is it OK if I laugh and have fun?’ but I know that if my brother was here he would be laughing right along with me.`
Todd Rowe has a friend who attempted suicide and ended up in the hospital for a few months. He’s a 42-year-old bachelor from Rotterdam who said he knew he wanted to get involved when he heard about the event.
`I want to raise as much as I can and do whatever I can do for the people who are putting this together,` said Rowe. `It’s out there, people need help; if I help families and friends then it’s well worth my time and effort.`
Rowe said he’s nervous and excited about being on stage while people bid on him and his date package.
`I think it’ll be fun and promises to be a nice night and for such a great cause,` said Rowe. `You want the person bidding on you to get their money’s worth, so I want to do something special for them.`
Rowe’s date will get to pamper herself with a manicure and pedicure at a spa in Clifton Park, the Silver Parrot donated something, a liquor store donated a gift certificate and there will be dinner and a night at a comedy club.
`I did a quick survey of all my friends and said ‘what would you like?’ They said show them a good time so I’m going to take them out and give them something they wouldn’t expect,` said Rowe.
Rowe gave a quick self-pitch.
`I like to have fun, I’m athletic, I’m a triathelete, a marathon runner and I’m training for the ironman. I like to go out and have a great time and a lot of laughs. Whoever bids on me, plan to have fun,` said Rowe.
Mclean also gave a pitch of his own.
`I think I’m funny, down to earth, I love to meet new people and I love to try to give back to the community if I can. I think I’m a fun guy,` said Mclean.
Besides a fun night, the event will help fund AFSP programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase awareness about depression and suicide and build AFSPs presence in the region. One of the programs Reid is most passionate about is the survivor outreach program.
`When a family requests it, they ask that we come meet with them and we have trained volunteers who are also survivors of suicide loss. For anyone who ha gone down this road, they know this type of loss is different than any other death. It’s very isolating, there’s the guilt, questioning this helps people understand what they’re feeling is normal and an opportunity to share what works, what doesn’t work and to link up with survivors,` said Reid.
The night starts at Vapor Night Club at 6 p.m. with a meet and greet with the bachelors, who range in age from 22 to 48. At 7 p.m. is the auction and at 9 p.m. is a VIP reception. Information about the events and how to purchase tickets can be found on the website, http://on.fb.me/2011bachelorauction.
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