Benefit auctioneer Christie King looks for a bid during the live auction portion of the Wallace State Future Foundation’s Investment Luncheon.

Local residents and businesses raised more than a quarter million dollars to fund scholarships for Wallace State Community College students during the Wallace State Future Foundation’s 14th Annual Student Investment Luncheon on Wednesday. 

The money came as hundreds gathered in Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum for silent and live auctions that saw $266,457 raised in just two hours.

The silent auction lined the sides of the coliseum and featured a variety of offerings, such as furniture, Auburn and Alabama tailgate packages, gift baskets, numerous baked goods and more.

Once the silent auction was over, the live auction was led by benefit auctioneer Christie King, who spurred the crowd into bidding for some of the big ticket items that included sculptured cake art, a Kenyan safari, a five-day tropical getaway and a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle.

Some of those items turned into bidding wars that brought in several thousand dollars on their own, including four Iron Bowl tickets that were finally won with a bid of $5,000.

The Wallace Future Foundation is a non-profit founded in July 2004 to promote equity, accessibility and excellence in education. Scholarships are available to students in all programs, including academic, health and technical areas of study, as well as dual-enrollment students and projects that support the arts, community outreach and faculty and professional development.

All of the money raised by Wednesday’s luncheon and auction will go towards scholarships for Wallace State students, and the Future Foundation’s work over the last 10 years has added up to $1.3 million in scholarships awarded to more than 1,500 deserving students, said Future Foundation Board President Leah Bolin.

She said Wallace State currently has more than 150 named and endowed scholarships, and 18 new scholarships have been added for the 2018-2019 year.

Bolin said many of the people present at the luncheon benefited from a Wallace State education, including herself, and the support they showed for student scholarships means that even more people will have the chance to further their educations.

“Today is about making new stories, and because of you, we will be able to begin some new chapters,” she said. 

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138.