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closeL’Arche celebrates hope at annual auction
Roxanne Cooke
The combination of strong community support and a smaller-than-usual venue meant some people had to be turned away from the L’Arche Farm and Gardens annual auction, hosted last weekend at Puyallup’s Liberty Theater.
And so many items were donated for the auction that some will have to be saved for next year, said Stacy Cates-Carney, executive director of the Tacoma L’Arche community.
L’Arche Farm and Gardens, located in Tacoma, is one of only 131 communities around the globe that offer housing and work to developmentally disabled adults, lovingly called “core members” by the farm.
“The focus is really on building relationships,” Cates-Carney said.
The local community donated most of the auction items, she said. Handmade paper made by L’Arche core members was also up for bid, as well as a tea party with core member Nancy Tyson.
The annual auction raises funds for the operation of the farm and other events. This year’s auction theme focused on the international aspect of L’Arche.
“It’s not just a little organization that happens in Tacoma,” Cates-Carney said.
Money from the auction will also go toward sending a delegate to the L’Arche international assembly, hosted in India this October, and toward funding for the regional gathering in June.
At the Tacoma farm, core members do farm work as well as arts and crafts, and some live with an assistant at the farm. Volunteers are aplenty and typically spend a year helping out on the farm.
L’Arche volunteers, assistants and core members meet the community at the annual auction, annual spring sale and booths at local farmers’ markets, Cates-Carney said. But the auction in particular allows the community to donate in many different ways — whether it means donating auction items, money or volunteering time to help out during the event.
“It allows people to give at different levels,” she said. “People look forward to it.”
Holly Hunt, a grower for L’Arche, has helped with the auction for three years now. She enjoys the change in pace from her usual farm work, which doesn’t have a clear start and finish, she said.
Plus, it’s a good way to get the community together to support a good cause, Hunt said. It’s not just about writing a check and mailing it off — at an auction, a person can take something home that will always represent their support of L’Arche.
“You totally win,” Hunt said.
Mary Ann Toohey, mother of L’Arche program coordinator Patrick Toohey, attends the auction every year and said she’s usually “gung-ho” during the live auction.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Mary Ann Toohey said. “It’s just a wonderful way for folks to be exposed to the L’Arche community. You’re brought to the reality of things and lovingness of all of them.”