Looking to surpass its 2011 fundraising efforts, the is planning to host a Date Auction on Wednesday, April 4, with all proceeds going to local law enforcement-related charities.
The fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Limit in Blue Bell — formerly known as Reeds. Attendees will be able to bid on a date with their favorite local police officers, sheriffs and other law enforcement personnel, but those who are already saddled with a ball-and-chain can still enjoy the three-hour open bar and bid on a variety of sports tickets and memorabilia that are up for auction.
"We've done a number of different [fundraisers], but this event was the brainchild of the group of assistant district attorneys in our Pre-Trials unit," said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman, who founded the cycling team in 2009. "[Last year's event] was such a huge success, and we had a lot of fun."
Ferman added that she was the first person auctioned off last year, but those wishing to score a date with the happily-married district attorney need to look elsewhere. Instead, Ferman will attend a breakfast with the winning bidder, who may bring with them "as reasonably-large of a group as they'd like". A list of other auction participants was not currently available.
The Wheels of Justice cycling team was the fundraising leader of last year's Irish Pub Tour de Shore, which took them on a 65-mile journey from the Irish Pub at the intersection of 20th and Walnut streets in Philadelphia to the Irish Pub in Atlantic City. In total, the team raised over $40,000 in donations prior to the start of the race.
Now the team is looking to break its own record; the members said they hope that the upcoming event will provide a solid foundation for this year's fundraising efforts, which will culminate with the 25th-Annual Irish Pub Tour de Shore on July 29.
Ferman was quick to recognize Assistant District Attorney's Katie Colgan and Colleen McIntyre for their efforts in putting the fundraiser together, adding that their commitment to the community extends far beyond the courtroom.
"They do so many great community service-related projects, and this is certainly one of them," Ferman said. "It's important that we not only recognize them when they do great work in their cases, but that we recognize their efforts in other regards which benefit our office and our community."
For more information on the fundraiser, visit the event page on Facebook.
