Final numbers still are being tallied but the outlook is promising.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula officials agree: The annual auction on Nov. 15 – and the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year – was successful despite a difficult time nationwide.

Stephen Rosales, club volunteer and one of the auction organizers, said the auction was very different from past years. "People bought this year on need, not frivolous stuff. You could tell that times are hard."

Popular items included a washer and dryer set that sold for $1,700, a concrete pumping package that sold for $2,800 and a television set that sold for $1,700.

A motorized scooter sold twice for a total of $3,000. David Price, of Price Ford in Port Angeles, bought the scooter for $1,500 and then donated it back to the Boys & Girls Club to be sold again.

"Snack attack," a children’s nutrition program through the club, received $57,000 in monetary donations.

Other items, such as a trip to Hawaii, a hot tub and a 2008 Mustang worth $35,000 received no bids.

"It went well but I don’t think we reached our goal," Rosales said. "With the economic situation the way it is … it’s a scary time. We did great but still have a lot to work on financially."

Rosales expressed gratitude to the Sequim and Port Angeles businesses that donated items for the auction. "We wouldn’t have received as much as we did without the mom and pop stores that donated 99 percent of the items," he said. "It overwhelms me emotionally how much they chipped in. Out of all the doors I walked through, not a single person said ‘no.’"

Items that didn’t sell will be listed on eBay or saved for the annual April golf tournament. The Mustang – one of only 7,000 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the movie "Bullitt" – was returned to Price Ford.

Bob Schilling, executive director, thanked the Port Angeles community for being more involved than in previous years. "We had some good representation from Port Angeles this year – a lot of new faces," he said.

Donations will continue to be accepted through the end of the week. An announcement of how much was raised will be made the first week of December.

"There are people who came to the auction intending to spend a certain amount of money but didn’t win the item they had their eye on," Schilling said, encouraging such people to make contributions to the club instead.

Donations can be made online at www.positiveplaceforkids.net or mailed to P.O. Box 4167, Sequim, WA 98382. For more information, call 683-8095.