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Rochester, N.Y. —
Connor Dixon Schwabl has a few few reservations about getting bid on by strangers. But older women are OK with him, he says with a smirk.
He is one of 20 bachelors and bachelorettes between ages 21 and 45 who will be auctioned off on May 12 for charity.
“In my head I’m a little nervous to see how much I’ll be bid on for,” he said. “To have the spotlight on me for a minute is going to be nerve-wracking, but that’s OK.”
Jim Rahmlow of Fairport got the idea to hold a date auction to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which holds a fundraising competition each year for its members. Although winning the title of “Man of the Year” would be nice, the feat holds greater significance to him because his mother suffers from leukemia.
“It’s easy to ask for help when it’s something that personal,” he said.
So in just 10 weeks, Rahmlow, a partner at Rochester accounting firm Mengel Metzger Barr, teamed up with local public relations firm Dixon Schwabl to market the event to a young crowd. As soon as the application and screening process began, the guys came out in full force, he says.
Applicants were given a questionnaire with questions that are a far cry from those you might find on an online dating profile. For instance, “If you were invisible, where would you go?” or, “If you could pick three people to have dinner with, who would you pick?”
Through the screening process, each date was selected based on their creativity and personality. And with the bidding starting at $100 for each date, Rahmlow says the candidates are certain to make it worth your while.
The event itself will also have a silent auction and raffle of donated merchandise before the bidding as guests have the chance to mingle in a casual social setting. Local news anchor Don Alhart and son Jon will be the masters of ceremony.
“You know it’s not actually to meet the love of your life — it’s to support a good cause,” said Dixon Schwabl, of Canandaigua. “But it’ll still be a blast because I’m a blast.”
Connor Dixon Schwabl has a few few reservations about getting bid on by strangers. But older women are OK with him, he says with a smirk.
He is one of 20 bachelors and bachelorettes between ages 21 and 45 who will be auctioned off on May 12 for charity.
“In my head I’m a little nervous to see how much I’ll be bid on for,” he said. “To have the spotlight on me for a minute is going to be nerve-wracking, but that’s OK.”
Jim Rahmlow of Fairport got the idea to hold a date auction to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which holds a fundraising competition each year for its members. Although winning the title of “Man of the Year” would be nice, the feat holds greater significance to him because his mother suffers from leukemia.
“It’s easy to ask for help when it’s something that personal,” he said.
So in just 10 weeks, Rahmlow, a partner at Rochester accounting firm Mengel Metzger Barr, teamed up with local public relations firm Dixon Schwabl to market the event to a young crowd. As soon as the application and screening process began, the guys came out in full force, he says.
Applicants were given a questionnaire with questions that are a far cry from those you might find on an online dating profile. For instance, “If you were invisible, where would you go?” or, “If you could pick three people to have dinner with, who would you pick?”
Through the screening process, each date was selected based on their creativity and personality. And with the bidding starting at $100 for each date, Rahmlow says the candidates are certain to make it worth your while.
The event itself will also have a silent auction and raffle of donated merchandise before the bidding as guests have the chance to mingle in a casual social setting. Local news anchor Don Alhart and son Jon will be the masters of ceremony.
“You know it’s not actually to meet the love of your life — it’s to support a good cause,” said Dixon Schwabl, of Canandaigua. “But it’ll still be a blast because I’m a blast.”
