Last month, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights launched its 6th Annual Spring Auction at Charitybuzz.com, featuring 147 once-in-a-lifetime experiences spanning entertainment, sports, politics and business.
After three weeks of frenzied bidding and international attention, the auction’s first wave of packages closed yesterday to raise more than $1.1 million for the RFK Center’s global human rights programs.
“The RFK Center’s annual auctions empower our human rights advocacy around the world, from courtrooms to classrooms, from Cambodia to California,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of the RFK Center. “We are enormously grateful to our generous donors and to all those whose support will help us carry forward Robert Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world.”
The chance to have coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple’s Cupertino, CA headquarters was the auction’s top grossing experience, with 86 bids placed and a final hammer price of $610,000 at 4:08 PM EST on May 14. The winning bidder, who wishes to remain anonymous, placed the winning bid at 3:52 PM EST. The coffee meeting is expected to be anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour long.
The Tim Cook auction tied the record for highest winning bid at global charity auction site Charitybuzz, which launched in 2005 to give bidders unique opportunities to live their dreams and make a difference. The record was set by a 2013 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster auctioned in March 2013 for $610,000.
Other top auction packages in the Robert F. Kennedy Center’s Spring Auction included: the chance to tour Space-X with Elon Musk, with a final bid of $42,500; two VIP tickets to the Kennedy Center Honors Black Tie Gala, with a final bid of $32,000; a day at training camp with Peyton Manning, with a final bid of $25,000; and lunch with Robin Williams on the set of his next film, with a final bid of $15,000.
To date, the RFK Center’s annual auctions at Charitybuzz have raised more than $4.6 million for human rights.
“We’re truly amazed by the results of Tim Cook’s remarkable donation. Sincere thanks goes out to Charitybuzz’s community of socially conscious bidders here in the U.S. and around the globe, whose generosity has helped us raise an incredible amount for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights,” said Coppy Holzman, Charitybuzz CEO & Founder. “With the support of cultural icons from Hollywood to Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley, we are thrilled to have raised more than one million dollars this spring for the RFK Center’s powerful work.”
More incredible experiences, including tickets to the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, a walk-on role in Jim Carrey's next film, tickets to the world premiere of Monuments Men starring George Clooney, and a rare pair of David Beckham's personalized predator football boots, are still up for auction at www.Charitybuzz.com/RFK through May 21.
