Sporting Kansas City center back Matt Besler attended The Grand Finale Auction for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Man & Woman of the Year celebration at Harrah's North Kansas City on May 17th.
The unique event is a fundraising competition between men and women from the Kansas City community who, through their participation over a brief 10-week period, vie for the honor of being named the "2012 Man or Woman of the Year." On Thursday night the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recognized the candidates as "Kansas City Heroes: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Passion."
Besler's live auction item, which went by the phrase, "It's a bird, It's a plane...It's a Sporting KC VIP Package" sold for $1,600. The one-of-a-kind Sporting KC package included VIP tickets to the July 7th game against the Houston Dynamo at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, a meet-and-greet on the field with Besler after the game, two mini adidas soccer balls signed by the Notre Dame product and the cleats the Kansas City native wore in the 2011 MLS All-Star game.
Robin Maupin, the lucky lady who placed the winning bid, was photographed with the fourth year pro after collecting her winnings, capturing the only time it would be socially acceptable to put soccer cleats on the dinner table!
The event as a whole raised over $514,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Matt was one of 26 local heroes. “It was an honor to represent the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and attend the Grand Finale that raised significant dollars for blood cancer research and patient services,” said Besler. “Having a strong presence in the local community is important to Sporting Kansas City. This event is an extension of the work we are doing locally to help organizations committed to fighting cancer.”
