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THE Money
Rotary’s biggest event has benefits way beyond Bainbridge
As the dust settles and the crowd disperses, their newfound treasures in tow, the latest annual auction and rummage sale draws to a close and, in one way, it seems the work of the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island is done, too.
But really, it’s only just getting started. Every summer, after several days of accepting donations, then cleaning, testing and pricing the haul, Rotarians take over the
BY LUCIANO MARANO
PHOTOS COURTESY GRANT RECIPIENTS, ROTARY CLUB OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, CINDY MCGREGOR AND LISA ERICKSON
campus of Woodward Middle School and set up a 30-some department sale in classrooms, tents, parking lots and on the athletic field, an enormous effort aided by more than 2,000 community volunteers. This year’s event is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., July 12.
But while the big event itself is rightly famous, drawing donations and attendees from far off Bainbridge Island, what happens next, and the myriad of good deeds done with the increasingly impressive sums of money raised, is less well known.
“I think that part becomes like a footnote a lot of times because the auction is so spectacular in so many ways,” said acting Rotary Club communication director Evelyn Wilder.
Begun in 1960 as a way to help pay for the Bainbridge Public Library, the first three auctions were held at the old Winslow Shipyard (now the Eagle Harbor Ferry Maintenance Facility). Over the past 65 years, according to Rotary officials, the event’s net revenue,
after expenses, has totaled more than $9 million.
From 2010 to 2024 alone, the group invested nearly $5 million in local and international community programs and projects.
“This fundraising effort raises a significant amount of money and the Rotary Club takes it very seriously,” Wilder said.
Typically, she explained, proceeds from the auction and rummage sale go
to benefit applicants in four primary categories, each overseen by its own Rotary committee:
Community grants (since 2010, more than 120 nonprofit organizations in Kitsap County have received such awards); Funding large projects (such as expanding the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum and new construction at Helpline House, Kitsap Humane Society’s pet adoption center, and the Bainbridge Youth Services facility, among others);
Scholarships (hundreds of island high school graduates have received scholarships to colleges, universities, and vocational schools);
And various international humanitarian efforts (projects undertaken in partnership with other Rotary clubs and nongovernmental organizations, focused primarily on water, sanitation, disease prevention/treatment, education and economic development to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged people around the world).
Even the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop the good work.
According to Rotary officials, “In 2020 and 2021, utilizing auction management software, we transformed the event into a no-contact experience. Donations and purchases were conducted from the comfort of participants’ homes. Donors retained their items at their residences, while buyers arranged to collect their purchases from the donors’ driveways or another agreed-upon location. We received exceptional support from our community of donors and participants, and the funds raised were allocated to organizations addressing specific needs arising from the pandemic.”
Those submitting applications for Rotary funding can expect a thorough review.
A grant in 2024 replaced outdated, failing microphones with 35 new mics.
Rotary’s Community Grants Committee awarded a grant to The Island School to bring in 70 new books featuring neurodivergent main characters, including characters with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and severe anxiety.
A 2024 grant helped fund a new boat that seats four rowers and one coxswain.
Helpline House – Charlie Averill from the Large Grants Committee (left), and Dr. Ann Marie Kimball, 2024-2025 Club President, (right), present a grant of $125,000 to Maria Metzler, Executive Director of Helpline House (center) for their building project.
A 2024 grant funded the purchase of a realistic training manikin to teach skills such as intramuscular injections and suctioning.
“There’s a real diligent process that’s been in place for years,” Wilder said. “People go and they meet every single applicant and they look at the organizations and make sure the request is something that’s viable, that this organization is going to be able to pull it off and complete it within a year and report back.”
Students seeking scholarships are also interviewed and evaluated.
“Ten or so students a year get up to $5,000 to use toward their education,” Wilder said.
Each application committee has a dozen people or more, and the amount of time and effort required to ensure proper stewardship of the money raised by the auction and rummage sale, Wilder added, often surprises people. “They meet regularly and do a lot of research.”
Personally, Wilder said she found the club’s international work especially revealing, and felt that this category might be less well understood by the general public.
“It’s a really interesting aspect,” she said. “And since joining the
Those curious about the application process—or who want to learn more about the history of the auction or the specifics of where the money raised ultimately ends up—should visit bainbridgerotaryauction.org.
