For the second straight year, Adaptive Spirit is holding its annual spring fundraiser in all-virtual format. Also for the second straight year, there are some tremendous bargains available in the silent auction, which closes just over a week from now. If you stay alert and time your bids just right, you could make off with some absolute steals.
To refresh your memory, Adaptive Spirit has been a stalwart supporter of the US Paralympic Ski and Snowboard Team for 25+ years, providing just under half of the team’s annual budget. With the 2022 Winter Olympics only 11 months off, this year’s fundraiser has big implications. At the risk of overdramatizing, your purchase of some Bose noise-cancelling headphones or an official Team US tote bag could help propel an American paraathlete toward gold-medal glory.
The items on our shopping list range in price from $5 to $500+—at least, those were the top bids as of the morning of March 30. These selections reflect our own biases and tastes; to find items that reflect your own preferences, browse the whole list.
In ascending price-tag order, our bid card includes:
$10 Dakine Kathryn Beanie (Item #810)
We like the knit; we love the color. And best of all, this ski cap is reversible. But if this particular beanie doesn’t do it for you, there are three or four dozen others, in every color and style you could imagine—all currently bidding at just $10.
$50 Guitar signed by Trisha Yearwood (Item #351)
According to Memorabilix.com, the average Trisha Yearwood autographed item is worth $13.99. Subtract that line item, and you’re only paying $36.01 for the guitar. Whether or not you’re a fan of Trisha Yearwood, where else are you gonna find a guitar at that price? Let’s break it down even further: The strings on that guitar would cost you about $9 at Guitar Center. So now you’re only paying $27, give or take, for the instrument itself. If you know a handful of old Dylan tunes, you could probably make your whole investment back in just a few hours of busking down at the subway station.
$200 DJI Mini 2 Fly Drone (Item #111)
These babies retail for right around $500, so you’re getting 60 percent off at the current bidding level. Wired calls it “a drone that’s just plain fun,” TechRadar says it’s “the perfect entry-level drone,” and The Verge dubs it “a perfect package for a content creator on the go.” Our brother pilots these things around back East and has gotten some incredible video footage of hawks and eagles on the wing. We’re totally in on this.
$350 VIP Tour of USOP Museum + Broadmoor Hotel Stay for 2 (Item #204)
In addition to the museum tour (guided by an honest-to-goodness Paralympic athlete) and the five-star Broadmoor lodgings, this deal includes lunch at the museum and a Paralympic apparel package. For two people, you’d pay at least twice what the current high bid is.