By Claire Webster

This year the Pumpkin Auction raised about $13,000 for the Special Wish Dayton. Now a family can do something that they always wanted to do, thanks to the creativity of fifth grade students. 

The Pumpkin Auction is where fifth grade students at Bell Creek Intermediate School decorate pumpkins each year pumpkins to raise money for A Special Wish Foundation of Dayton. “This is a charitable organization that raises money to send families with chronically ill children on a fun family vacation for free,” said Mrs. Geis, a Bell Creek teacher.

This event is organized by Bell Creek teacher Mr. Anderson. “We at BCI wanted to do something to teach our students about serving others.  We also wanted to have a fun school/community event that anyone could attend.  We kicked around some ideas and various charities, and decided a pumpkin auction would be a lot of fun and we wanted to donate to a charity that helped children,” said Anderson. This is the fifth year that Bell Creek has done the Pumpkin Auction. The only year it hasn’t occurred was 2020 due to Covid.

This event is run just like a real auction. “We have pumpkin paddles made by students to hold up when someone wants to bid on a pumpkin.  We also have food trucks for dinner options, face painting, and popcorn to add to the family, friendly, and fun festivities,” said Anderson.  Many fifth graders and their families have attended or participated in the auction over the years. “Almost all of the years we have had the auction thus far, we have had about 65-70 decorated real and/or foam pumpkins donated by 5th graders and their families. This event is open to the public and is a great event for the whole community,” said Anderson. The auction also lets fifth graders give to the community and be creative with their imaginations by designing their own pumpkins. 

This event is a huge success and has raised over $25,000 for A Special Wish Foundation of Dayton each year. Last year the auction raised a total of $13,000 for the charity. “Every year, I am amazed at how much artistic talent families in Bellbrook have. I also love having a community event that has around 400-500 people come together in one evening for a good cause. But, probably my most favorite part of the night is having the Director from A Special Wish share with us where our prior auction money went and how it blessed a family that has been going through a really tough time,” said Anderson.