Huey’s Hideaway to hold Experience Auction fundraiser

Huey’s Hideaway children’s museum will hold its annual Experience Auction on July 31.

Doors will open at 5:00 p.m., and the auction will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the Huey’s Hideaway building on South Main St. in Medford. Anyone is welcome to come to the auction. There will be free food and a cash bar available.

“The Experience Auction is our biggest fundraiser for Huey’s Hideaway. It is a mixture of live auction experiences, meat raffles, bucket raffles. The reason people should come to the auction is because this auction doesn’t only support the children of Huey’s now, it supports the children of the future, making sure that everybody has a safe place for exploration and learning and that all families have a place to connect and bond together,” said Monica Spinler, executive director of Huey’s.

There will be a wide-variety of items to bid on. “Some big ticket items would be a two-week trip to Spain, including a $1,000 travel voucher for the plane ride and a $250 voucher for your car rental, a hot and cold party where you get one private city pool party and an ice skating party, a Kalahari trip, and a Grand Geneva golf trip,” Spinler said.

New this year is a silent auction online that will be open from July 24 to July 31. HTTP://www.32auctions. com/ExperienceAuction is the link for it.

Throughout the year, Huey’s provides a local space for families to visit together. Over 5,000 children go to Huey’s each year. Well-loved exhibits in the children’s museum include an ambulance, bank, hair salon, and barn. Huey’s is open to members at any time through a door code.

During the summer months, Huey’s runs a licensed day camp for local children. Each week, campers learn about an educational theme. The week of July 22nd’s theme was Lessons From Experts, and Huey’s brought in local professionals to speak with the campers about careers. In addition to the weekly themes, campers go on field trips and spend time in the children’s museum.

“My favorite part is probably playing outside and hanging out with my new friends,” said nine-year-old camper Cora Bleck.

Proceeds from the auction directly support Huey’s and “go towards operational expenses, summer camp scholarships for children who are unable to afford the camps, new exhibits and toys, and membership scholarships for families who are unable to pay for their membership,” Spinler explained. With some of the funds from this year’s auction, Huey’s is hoping to add an outdoor playground for kids to enjoy.

Earnings from the auction allow Huey’s to be accessible to all people, regardless of income. “We are always looking to help families in need. We were able to give a summer scholarship to a single-mom family who was unable to afford our summer camps, allowing her to continue her employment. Without our summer camp allowing her to have the peace of mind that her children were cared for by a licensed day camp, she might not have had the ability to continue her employment,” Spinler remarked.

To continue to make a difference in the community, Huey’s relies on support through its fundraisers, namely the Experience Auction.