MedZou auction raises money for the free health clinic
The auction features items such as an MU steak branding iron, massage coupons and a parking pass.
Published Nov. 13, 2008
MedZou, a free community health clinic, is having an online auction fundraiser to help support its mission of serving the uninsured of Columbia and Boone County.
The auction, which began Monday, showcased the generous spirit of MU.
"We work with community physicians and are able to learn a lot about helping the medically underserved," medical student Courtney Orscheln said.
Orscheln, the co-chairwoman of the Fundraising Committee for MedZou, helped jumpstart the auction project.
"Courtney approached me a couple of months ago, and had seen what we did with the staff council site and wondered if she could use it and so, at that point in time I went out and got the domain name, myauctionfundraiser.org, and did some modifications to suit them," said Alan Marshall, a systems administrator expert for the biological sciences department.
The auction includes 64 different items such as gift certificates and parking passes.
University Bookstore donated a Tigers steak branding iron, which is valued at $24.95.
"The organization requested a donation to help support their event, and we do try to support different campus events, particularly when it's a student organization. This seemed pretty worthy," Student and Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said.
Some of the items that have received the most interest include a free massage from Massage Envy and two MO-X round-trip airport shuttle gift certificates, which are worth $80.
A parking permit for the top three levels of the Maryland Avenue Garage is the most expensive item for bidding, and will bring at least $225 to the cause.
The auction has required a lot of hard work from the organizers.
"Courtney has done a great job and she's put a lot of time in it, you could say that my hat's off to her," Marshall said. "I've done her job and I put in maybe 30 items, she put in twice as many, so I know how much time she's dedicated to it."
Bidding closes at 6 p.m. today.
