$97,000 Raised at Second Turtle Tide Art Auction
The Edisto Chamber of Commerce hosted the second Turtle Tide Art Auction in conjunction with the Edisto Fall Festival last Saturday, October 7. It was a warm Fall day at Edisto; the sun was shining, the band was playing, and more importantly, people were feeling very generous. 10 turtles were auctioned off, raising $97,000 to benefit eight local non-profits, far exceeding last year’s total raise of $60,000.
Since this was only the second year for the Turtle Tide Art Project, no one really knew what to expect, just hopeful to raise just as much if not more money than last year. The fee to become a turtle sponsor was still $1,000 per turtle and with 100% of the proceeds going back to the designated non-profit for each turtle, anything above the sponsor fee was considered a win.
The live auction began a little after 2:30pm. Bidders had to register beforehand and were given auction paddles with bidder numbers. It was a slow start for registration but by the time the auction began 47 people had signed up and were ready to start bidding!
Since this was only the second year for the Turtle Tide Art Project, no one really knew what to expect, just hopeful to raise just as much if not more money than last year. The fee to become a turtle sponsor was still $1,000 per turtle and with 100% of the proceeds going back to the designated non-profit for each turtle, anything above the sponsor fee was considered a win.
The live auction began a little after 2:30pm. Bidders had to register beforehand and were given auction paddles with bidder numbers. It was a slow start for registration but by the time the auction began 47 people had signed up and were ready to start bidding!
Local business owner Peter Beck volunteered as the official auctioneer for the event again this year. Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison, along with help from Darrin Moore, introduced each turtle, along with its sponsor and the artist who painted it. As each turtle came up for auction, representatives from the turtle’s associated non-profit were invited to come speak about their organization. Speakers touched on their mission and explained how they planned to use any proceeds from the auction. Bidding started at $1,000 and was increased in a minimum of $200 increments. Bidding began with the first turtle, “Sunny”, grossing $7,000 to kick off the auction. Turtle #4, “Leo” was the first one to cross over the $10,000 threshold but, he most definitely was not the last. A few friendly and highly entertaining bidding wars broke out over several turtles to keep things interesting.
From left: Auctioneer; Peter Beck, Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison, and Darrin Moore
From left: Walton Salley, Ashley Judy, Mott Parker, Sue Wooten, Matthew Kizer, and Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison with “LilyBelle”
The last turtle that went up for auction was “LilyBelle”, sponsored by the Edisto Belles, and dedicated to one of Edisto’s own – Ding Kizer. Unfortunately, Ding lost her battle with cancer a few months prior. Ding’s sister, Walton Salley, spoke about her sister and how important early detection is when it comes to cancer. It was very clear that this turtle, painted by local artist Caroline Eynon, was very special. Ding’s husband, Matthew Kizer ended up being the highest bidder. “LilyBelle” was the highest grossing turtle, coming in at an impressive $14,400. The Edisto Belles had two turtles benefitting them and grossed over $24,000 from the event to put towards their mission of helping people with breast cancer throughout their journey.
Winning bidders Mike & Nancy Galli Floyd with “Edisto Beachcombers” and her artist Ginger Graham Varner and sponsor SLO Boat Construction owners DaRel Christiansen & Tina Coffey
In addition to the generosity of our donors, the day was made successful by all of our volunteers, our project partners, sponsors, artists, and non-profits involved. You can read more about the start of the project here. THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this project a success!
Project Partners:
Project Sponsors:
Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison ready for an exciting day!
Volunteers Patti Smyer, Stephanie Renner, & Amy Stephens
Chamber President Leslie Hurley, Emily Johnston & Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison ready to sign people up for the auction!
Chamber Communications Coordinator Michelle Smyer giving Rosie a bath before she went to her forever home.
The lovely ladies of ALOE
Edisto Gumbo
Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison & Midnight from ALOE.
Auctioneer Peter Beck
Turtle Movers Robby Harrison and Michael Stephens with Hype Man Cubby Huffines
Edisto Island Youth Recreation
Walton Sally speaking about LilyBelle being dedicated to her sister Ding Kizer
“LilyBelle” raised $14,400 to benefit the Edisto Belles.
The second highest grossing non-profit for the day was Edisto Island Youth Recreation, who had two turtles auctioned to benefit them as well, grossing over $22,000. “Summer Breeze” sponsored by Sea Spirits Liquor and Edisto Ace Hardware and painted by Elysia Carrison Yelton brought in $11,200. Their second turtle, “Pearl,” sponsored by 1st Federal Savings Bank of SC and painted by Patrick Stare, went for $11,000.
“Summer Breeze” was the second turtle auctioned to benefit Edisto Island Youth Recreation, raising $11,200.
The turtles brought in a total of $97,000 that stays within the Edisto community by supporting 8 local charitable organizations. You can find more information on all of the turtles and how much they raised here:
| Turtle | Sponsor | Artist | Beneficiary | Amount Raised | Winning Bidder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny | Pressley’s at the Marina & The Marina at Edisto | Elysia Carrison Yelton | #WhoYouWhitBenefit | $7,000 | Larry Mullis |
| Kuda | Barbara Dillick | Tom McElroy | Lowcountry Food Bank | $7,200 | Karen & Brad Bouse and Velma Kenyon |
| Assisi | Edisto Watersports & Tackle | Kim Walters | Animal Lovers of Edisto (ALOE) | $9,000 | Kenny & Connie Austin |
| Leo | The Waterfront Restaurant & High Tides at Dockside | Dorothy Rogers | Edisto Belles | $10,000 | Amy Blanchard & Dave Terris |
| Peace Out | Sandbar Pizza Joint | Zack Mangum | Good Samaritan Clinic | $8,600 | Danny & Dawn Mangum |
| Summer Breeze | Sea Spirits Liquor & Edisto Ace Hardware | Elysia Carrison Yelton | Edisto Island Youth Recreation | $11,200 | Dallas & Debbie Lovelace |
| Pearl | 1st Federal Savings Bank of SC | Patrick Stare | Edisto Island Youth Recreation | $11,000 | Jeanine Rhodes |
| Rosie | Weber Foundation of Helping Hands | Gerry McElroy | Edisto Seniors | $7,400 | Bert & Cynthia Dooley |
| Edisto Beachcombers | Slo Boat Construction | Ginger Graham Varner | EB Loggerhead Turtle Project | $11,200 | Mike & Nancy Galli Floyd |
| LilyBelle | Edisto Belles | Caroline M. Eynon | Edisto Belles | $14,400 | Matthew Kizer |
Winning bidders Mike & Nancy Galli Floyd with “Edisto Beachcombers” and her artist Ginger Graham Varner and sponsor SLO Boat Construction owners DaRel Christiansen & Tina Coffey
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In addition to the generosity of our donors, the day was made successful by all of our volunteers, our project partners, sponsors, artists, and non-profits involved. You can read more about the start of the project here. THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this project a success!
Project Partners:
Project Sponsors:
Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison ready for an exciting day!
Volunteers Patti Smyer, Stephanie Renner, & Amy Stephens
Chamber President Leslie Hurley, Emily Johnston & Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison ready to sign people up for the auction!
Chamber Communications Coordinator Michelle Smyer giving Rosie a bath before she went to her forever home.
The lovely ladies of ALOE
Edisto Gumbo
Chamber Director Chelsea Harrison & Midnight from ALOE.
Auctioneer Peter Beck
Turtle Movers Robby Harrison and Michael Stephens with Hype Man Cubby Huffines
Edisto Island Youth Recreation
Walton Sally speaking about LilyBelle being dedicated to her sister Ding Kizer
