With the numbers now finalized, everyone involved with the Kurt Hughes Online Benefit Auction is amazed with the outpouring of support from the harness racing community.
"When Paul [MacDonell] first raised the idea of an auction to help Kurt and Colleen, we had no prediction of how well it would go," said Ralph Sucee. "Kurt is like so many of us in the sport - a 'Littlefeller', not a 'Rockefeller' - and what if the idea didn't catch on? A few weeks later, we are in absolute awe - again - of this industry! So many kind and caring and wonderful people, digging deep at a tough time of year to dig deep - to help a young colleague in need.
"We had hoped to get about 20-25 legitimate auction items, and ended up with 49! We never dreamed we'd raise over $60,000 net for Kurt and Colleen. On the final day of the auction, traffic to the site was so large and intense that the website briefly crashed a few times. We're all very fortunate to be a part of harness racing."
The final total of auction items came in at $61,550, and that total does not include cash donations received through the website or the extremely generous cheque issued by the Horsemen's Unicorn Foundation of Florida, an organization established to help horsemen in need.
Kurt, Colleen, and the Hughes family would like to send out a sincere thank you to the organizers, auction donors, cash donors, and bidders in the recent auction. The family issued the following statement.
"The support received from the harness racing community has been unbelievable - they just can't do enough for you. It is overwhelming to see the goodwill of people at a time like this. People rallied behind this auction from all over North America and in the end it was a huge success. Kurt has made a great impression on everyone he came in contact with and this support will go a long way in helping Kurt and Colleen through the recovery process"
Anyone who purchased an item through the auction will soon be receiving an email regarding payment details and specifics with respect to the purchased item.
All auction organizers and family of Kurt Hughes express their most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to everyone that donated, promoted and participated in the Kurt Hughes Online Benefit Auction.
The website, kurthughes.com remains open for people still interested in making donations.