On Friday, April 8, members of the Konosioni Senior Honor Society hosted the 19th annual Konosioni Auction. The event was a formal affair where faculty, alumni, students, parents and members of the local community gathered to bid on a wide range of items. While the auction took off with a silent auction, multiple Colgate a cappella groups, such as The Colgate Resolutions and the Mantiphondrakes, performed for the audience as participants kept their eyes peeled for interesting and unique collectibles, tickets and treasures. 

The items that were auctioned off were brought in by members of the Honor Society itself. Senior Konosioni member Christopher Noda described the process of gathering auction items.

“Each member [of Konosioni] is required to contribute (within their ability) three items if the individual is a senior, and 1 item if the individual is a junior,” Noda said.

The Konosioni members contribute to the auction by reaching out to various local establishments in Hamilton, Colgate faculty and alumni. Konosioni Vice President senior Sofia Estay spoke to the variety of items offered in this year’s auction.

“This year we had items [including] four hours of babysitting by a member of Konosioni, group fitness classes from Trudy Fitness Center, front row seats to This Is Not A Play About Sex, Maxwells Gift Card, and artwork donated by professors and alumni,” Estay said.

The Konosioni Auction fulfills the service portion of Konosioni’s three tenets of tradition, leadership and service to community. Service has been a key component to the Honor Society since its founding in 1934. The annual auction raised around $24,000 last year and roughly $32,000 this year. The money raised at the event went to Konosioni’s philanthropic organization, Madison County Gives.  

“The organization manages a crowdfunding site connecting not-for-profit organizations that provide services to residents of Madison County with students and community members who want to help through web-based fundraising campaigns,” Estay said. 

Madison County Gives supports organizations such as Community Bikes, an organization that collects donated bikes and refurbishes them in order to give to those who cannot afford bicycles as means of transportation. The organization has refurbished and distributed up to 1,700 bicycles around the county since its founding. In addition, with the high percentage of refugees in the local area, Madison County Gives is able to aid other organizations such as the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, which has been pivotal for addressing the needs of resettled families.

Madison County Gives’ official website states its main focus as providing services to residents of our county in the areas of education, the environment, human well being, community vitality or culture.