Superbowl Sunday marked the end of Week 2 of the Jerseys for St. Jude auctions. Of note, FLW Pro Dave Lefebre’s 2010 Team Chevy jersey was up for sale. For anyone that knows Dave, he has a huge following of fans (arguably, one of the largest in the sport) and keeps connected with them through Facebook and other social media outlets.
A couple hours prior to the end of the jersey auction, he encouraged and challenged his Facebook fans to increase the bid amount. One of his posts joked, “Come on, don’t make me buy this!” Shortly thereafter, he posted that he would take a fan on a fishing trip if the winning bid amount eclipsed $1000. When the auction came to a close, a glitch in EBay capped the top bid at $250.50, upon which the winner’s name and bid amount was announced on Dave’s Facebook page.
Almost immediately, Dave received messages from some fans stating that they had bid far more than the winning amount. Among those concerned fans was the winning bidder, Lealand Hansford of Oxford, PA. Hansford contacted Dave and told him that he actually entered a maximum bid amount of $1,130 and was disappointed to see that the bid was not raised higher in the closing seconds so that he could have won a fishing trip, too. Dave told Hansford that he would still provide a trip if he would donate the difference between his winning and maximum bid amounts to St. Jude. Without hesitation, Hansford agreed.
This story is proof of what great PEOPLE (both anglers and fans) there are in this sport! Without their help, organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital would not be as successful as they are today…
Jerseys for St. Jude auctions for Week 3 include: Gary Dobyns, Brent Ehrler, Anthony Gagliardi, Boyd Duckett, Pam Martin-Wells, and Kim Bain-Moore.
Prizes from several companies, including Rapala, Dobyns Rods, Legend Boats, All-Terrain Tackle, and MinnKota / Humminbird are available to those who donate directly to St. Jude. Donors of $25 or more will automatically be entered. Donors of $50 or more will receive a free MinnKota / Humminbird prize package instantly while supplies last.
Donation and bidding instructions, as well as additional photos of prizes and jerseys, can be found on the Jerseys for St. Jude blog: http://jerseysforstjude.blogspot.com/.
100% of all donation and auction proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. It is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.
