Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Warren County YMCA Board President Lincoln Sokolski (left) and Executive Director Thad Turner show sports paraphernalia and a custom workbench, just a few of the many items donated to the third annual Special Ops auction to be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15.

It’s time for a Special Ops action.

The third annual Warren County YMCA Special Ops Auction will be held starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15.

Those who wish to attend the auction in person may do so at the Conewango Club. Tickets are $25 and there is a cash bar. Hors d’oeuvres will be served from 6 to 7 p.m.

For those who can’t make it, “this auction is a hybrid,” YMCA Board President Lincoln Sokolski said. “All the items will be online.”

“They can stay at home or they can come to the event,” Executive Director Thad Turner said.

Online participants may register, then assign opening bids, bid increments, and maximum bids, for any items.

“We’ll have an administrative auctioneer who will speak on behalf of online bidders,” Sokolski said.

Some items will be handled in a silent auction. Others, including the high-profile items, will be sold live.

There are many programs at the Y that are not self-sustaining. To help sustain those, the staff and directors had to get creative.

“It was getting close to the end of the year, Thad and I and a couple of board members looked at each other and said, we’re short,” Sokolski said.

“We’re not going to meet the needs,” Turner said.

They came up with an idea for an auction.

“Lincoln was looking at the relationships that he has with people,” Turner said. “A lot of people would like to help the Y.”

All of the items are donated.

“A lot of local people have stepped up,” Sokolski said. “Bill Bunk (owner of NAPA) is very connected to the Y. He grew up coming to the Y. His son works here and volunteers. He’s a good example of many local businesses that have stepped up to help out with auction items.”

This year, Bunk donated a custom workbench.

Northwest Bank donated Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Buffalo Sabres memorabilia, including an autographed football and jerseys.

There are also Cleveland Browns items on the list.

Gaughn’s Drug Store donated tickets to the Jan. 3 Steelers-Browns game.

“Glenn Baldensperger is putting together a Warren area golf package that includes a round of golf for four and cart fees to Conewango Valley Country Club, Blueberry, Cable Hollow, and Jackson,” Sokolski said. “Lily Suppa is putting together a get-away trip to Buffalo that includes hotel and museum tickets.”

There are two VIP tickets to the Indianapolis 500 and a suite at an Erie Otters or Erie Seawolves game.

“Targeted Pet Treats has offered a small dog gift basket and a large dog gift basket for the dog lovers in the world,” he said. “Thad Turner, Navy SEAL, will do a corporate, team-building retreat event that will be customized based on what the company’s goals and objectives are.”

“Ash Khare has lined up lunch with our Congressman GT Thompson in Washington DC for four, along with a personal tour of our capitol building,” Sokolski said.

Turner’s nephew is in on the action.

“Clint Stout each year organizes an elk sighting along the Susquehanna River,” Sokolski said.

“It includes a dinner,” Turner said. “They go out on his side-by-side. If they go out, they’ll see elk.”

“A friend of mine in Erie has offered a luxury condominium for one week in Costa Rica,” Sokolski said.

Other getaway items include a cabin on the Conewango to luxury condominium in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“There are also smaller items,” Turner said. “You don’t need to spend $1,000.”

The auction items can be found at https://warrenymca.afrogs.org/#/browse/onlineItems

The auction helps the Y with programs like Livestrong, the Seventh-Grade Initiative, Everyone Can Swim, and membership and program scholarships.

“We’re trying to fund programs that are great for our community, but don’t bring funds to the Y,” Sokolski said. “In the first year, we realized this could be a great way to fund our YMCA – some of the unique things we’re doing in our community.”

“It has enabled us to look at programs not on strictly a cost basis, but on a meeting-the-needs-of-the-community basis,” Turner said. “Without the auction, without the annual campaign, we would have to look at everything as strictly a business.”

The auction helps. It does not generate all the necessary funding.

The auction “helps funds those programs,” Sokolski said. “Our goal is to raise $50,000. That’s about what we’ve raised the last two.”

Livestrong at the Y promotes the importance of physical activity after a cancer diagnosis. Groups of about 10 to 12 go through a 12-week program, culminating with an emotional graduation ceremony.

The Seventh-Grade Initiative provides a membership at no cost to every seventh grader in the county.

The Everyone Can Swim program is intended to bring youngsters to the Y for swim lessons.

“The goal is every child in Warren County will learn how to swim at least one length of the pool,” Sokolski said. “They go through life having accomplished that.”

“There are three different reasons for it,” Turner said. “Drowning is the number one cause accidental death for children under the age of 12. They get an objective accomplishment in their life. The other part of it is, they get a life skill. The fitness end of it is something they can do almost all of their life.”

Turner said hundreds of county residents who could not otherwise be members benefit from the scholarship program. “Anybody that fills out an application, we can provide financial aid to them up to 100 percent of their membership and up to 100 percent of their programs.”