Bosco-Milligan Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Auction raises over $125,000 for Historic Preservation

Auctioneer, Chris Sheik; Executive Director, Cathy Galbraith; President, Fred Leeson; and Member, Leland Hanson.

Portland, October 20^th. The Bosco-Milligan Foundation kicked off its 25^th year of service to Portland with a celebration at the Melody Ballroom in Southeast Portland. Auctioneer, Chris Sheik; Executive Director, Cathy Galbraith; President, Fred Leeson and Leland Hanson all worked to make the event a success. The Foundation is a local organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and education about local history.

Master of Ceremonies, “Handyman Bob” Strong; Auctioneer, Chris Sheik; and Volunteer, Stephanie Downer. This photo is a raffle drawing.

This year’s auction drew more supporters than any prior auction.

from left to right are: Auction Committee Chair, Eileen Fitzsimons and Auction Manager, Barbara Pierce share a hug after the auction was completed.

MC Handyman Bob during the dessert auction

The foundation, started by Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan, two men who shared a zeal for preserving and caring for Portland’s cultural heritage, saw first-hand the incredible generosity and dedication of Portlanders towards their organization in a record-breaking evening.

The environment was festive as the night began with the Melody Ballroom decorated heavily in silver for the 25^th anniversary theme. Prior to the auction’s start the organization had already broken one record by selling out of tickets for the first time in its history. As the night proceeded, the generosity of Portlander’s and their care for preserving their city’s cultural heritage was most impressive halfway through the live auction, during the collective bid. The goal of the collective bid was to raise $25,000 in order to be able to maintain and catalog the organizations collections of historic architecture. By the time the donations were all tallied, that goal was more than doubled, totaling over $50,000.

Immediately after the collective bid came a major announcement from Craig Kelly of Venerable Properties. During a teary-eyed speech he declared that in honor of the late Art Demuro, a prominent activist for maintaining the historic integrity of Portland and an important member of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, an endowment for the organization is going to be established with further details to be announced later on. The collective bid along with Craig’s announcement inspired the room and as the auction continued bidding was higher than ever.

To find out more go to www.visitahc.org or call 503-231-7264

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.