By Timothy Jones (2L)
At the Faculty of Law’s fourth annual Promise Auction, participants bid on promises from over seventy people, including everything from crossword lessons, to a personalised list of “50 Must See Movies,” to dinner with the Dean, and more.
On January 13, between 9am and 5pm, students, Faculty members, and one alumnus raised nearly $4,000 for two organisations that support at-risk First Nations women and families: the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto and the First Nations Family and Caring Society of Canada. The first provides local programming in the areas of housing, youth, families, employment and education, and culture. The latter provides “research, policy, professional development and networking support” to First Nations child and family service agencies across the country.
Although there were too many promises to list here, some of the most hotly-contested included:
- An “Authentic Russian Experience” comprising a five-course meal cooked by Katya Popoff (1L) featuring, inter alia, a “triple fish soup” with ingredients personally imported from Siberia;
- A motorcycle ride around the city with Chris Shorey (3L), subject to the winning bidder signing a “death waiver”;
- A homemade meal of pasta Bolognese with Dean Iacobucci and his family, including “pick up and drop off at Royal York Station”; and
- A cookbook entitled “Eating Your Way Through Law School” by Brittany Tovee (3L) and Kat Owens (3L).
The Promise Auction was founded in 2012 by U of T Law alumnus Andrew “Stobo” Sniderman (Class of 2014; articling at Olkhuis Kleer Townsend). The project sheds insight on the many hidden—and not-so-hidden—talents at the Faculty while raising money for a good cause.
This year’s live auction was perhaps the busiest yet, packing Alumni Hall in Victoria College. Auctioneers Tyler Cohen (3L) and David Feldman (3L) kept the energy high, regaling attendees with lawyer jokes they found on the internet (Q: Why did New Jersey get all the toxic waste and New York got all the lawyers? A: Because New Jersey got first pick.)
The live auction featured a Tyler Henderson (2L) “gun show” and a duet performed by Sam Levy (1L) and Rona Ghanbari (1L), with a five-1L backing band. However, nothing drew more oohs and aahs than a quilt donated by Donna Lynes, mother of Andrew Lynes (2L). After an intense bidding war, the quilt was won by Grace Smith (2L) for a price that simultaneously represented the auction’s single highest bid and, arguably, the best deal. True to form, second year students pledged 82% of the $1,300 raised at the live auction, first-years 18%, and third-years…the remainder.
The organizers of next year’s Promise Auction are Alayna Dueck (1L), Adam Greco (1L), and Madeleine Hass (1L).
