Each year in the spring, Col­gate’s Konosioni Senior Honor Society holds their annual Char­ity Auction. Last year’s auction raised over $15,000 for local charities. This year the proceeds of the auction will be distributed to 11 local organizations.

Konosioni, founded in 1934, one of Colgate’s most selective groups, is a peer-selected organization dedicat­ed to leadership, community service and the preservation of tradition.

Some of Konosioni’s many re­sponsibilities include leading the annual torchlight processions, the annual Native American arts and culture festival, campus events on Colgate Day on Friday the thir­teenth and Freshmen Field Day. This year, they are also working with the Center for Outreach, Vol­unteerism and Education (COVE) to run the Martin Luther King Day service this Friday, January 28.

Konosioni’s biggest responsibility is their auction. The money raised goes to the Konosioni Community Fund, and in the fall it is allocated to local orga­nizations and charities in the Hamilton and Madison County area.

“We send out letters to about 150 community organizations encouraging them to apply for funds. Once we have received all of the applications, we sort through them and make some very difficult decisions about where to donate our money given the amount that we have to al­locate,” senior and Konosioni’s President Kyra Kaufman said.

This year the money was distrib­uted among eleven local organiza­tions. These included Hope House of Utica (to purchase food to feed hundreds of meals on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day), Hamilton Public Library (to enhance their book collection for elementary and middle school stu­dents), The Thea Bowman House of Utica (to purchase basketball hoops and art supplies for an after school program for low income, at-risk teenagers) and Bridges (to fund a campaign linked with The Madi­son County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to teach teen­agers about the consequences of underage drinking), among others.

“We made our decisions based upon the quality of the applications and the extent to which our funds would make a meaningful contri­bution to the Hamilton/Madison County area,” Kaufman said.

Konosioni is currently in the pro­cess of preparing for their 14th annual auction, which will take place on April 8, at the Palace Theater. In the past, items that have been auctioned off have included artwork, concert and sports tickets and weekend homes. The donations come from faculty, stu­dents, Konosioni members and their parents, alumni and various businesses in the community.

The Konosioni Class of 2012 will be inducted in early March.