Our Annual Auction
PILA funds the largest portion of its public interest work through a benefit auction. Besides being enormously fun, the auction is a rare opportunity for students, faculty, and practitioners to work together for a common purpose: to improve access to legal services in our community and around the world.The 14th Annual Charitable Auction Raises $46,000
PILA's 2009 Auction was held on February 27, 2009 at the W Hotel in downtown Seattle. This year's auction raised a total of $46,000 from the silent and live auctions combined. Thanks to some changes in operations, the PILA Board was able to greatly reduce our overhead costs such that almost all of the money raised at the auction went directly to fund PILA's grant program and LRAP endowment fundraising efforts!
This year, PILA will allocate $72,500 in grants to students pursuing public service internships in Washington and abroad. We are especially proud as this amount exceeds the amount allocated in grants in 2008, despite the effects of the economic downturn! An additional $5,000 will be designated for matching gifts to the LRAP endowment from members of the UWLS Class of 2009.
Thanks are especially owed to our terrific MC, Professor Sam Donaldson. His wit and enthusiasm kept the energy level high throughout the night.
Jack Storms, our photographer, deserves a special thanks as well. His photos are amazing and truly capture the excitement of the night.
We'd also like to thank some special guests for helping to make the night such a success: Peter Buck, Councilman Dow Constantine, and Interim Dean Gregory Hicks. We are also thankful to donors of our named grants: Gordon Derr LLP, the UW Center for Human Rights and Justice, the Student Health Law Organization, the Gates Public Service Law Program, Washington Law Review, and the Faculty and Staff of UWLS.
