I've purchased a computer on Ebay, a few watches, countless computer parts, and even helped my brother buy a car -- but never had I thought I could purchase a lunch with Warren Buffett. Now, for the right bid, anyone can. The best part is, the winning bid benefits one of the nations most respected and beloved charitable organizations, San Francisco's GLIDE.
For the 13th year in a row, Warren Buffett, legendary investor and philanthropist, will host his one-and-only charity power lunch, on eBay. The annual power lunch has raised over $11.5 million for GLIDE's programs which directly help San Francisco's neediest residents. Last year's winning bid on eBay set a world-record at $2,626,411.00.
"I am extremely grateful to my friend Warren Buffett for his exceptional commitment to giving back to the community and supporting organizations like ours that directly help the neediest people in our society," said GLIDE's Founder and Minister of Liberation Reverend Cecil Williams. "Thanks to his foresight and generosity and thanks to the generosity of all the bidders, we've been able to give direct assistance to our neighbors in the form of meals, healthcare, housing and, of course, spiritual and emotional support."
Each year, the Annual Warren Buffett Lunch Charity Auction is a high-demand item listed on eBay that, over the past 13 years, has raised over $11.5 million for GLIDE. The power lunch event was born out of a friendship between Buffett's late wife Susan, who would attend the Sunday Celebrations, and GLIDE Founders Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani. Both Williams and Buffett are icons in their fields -- Buffett is an icon of business and charitable giving; and Williams is an icon of service and activism. Over the past dozen years, the two men have created a unique friendship grounded in a legacy of generosity.
"What I witnessed is an institution and individual that really gave up on nobody," Buffett said referring to GLIDE and Cecil Williams. "They took the people that the rest of the world would have forgotten, people who had given up on themselves. And they felt every human being had a potential, no matter what their circumstances."
Bidding for this year's auction opens Sunday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. PDT, and will close on Friday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. PDT. The bidding starts at $25,000 and all bidders will be pre-qualified through Kompolt, specialists in Cause Branded Social Media. The lunch will be listed through eBay Giving Works. To pre-qualify, visit: www.GlideLunchWithWarrenBuffett.com.
The winning bidder will have the opportunity to invite up to seven friends to join him or her and Mr. Buffett for lunch at Smith & Wollensky in New York City.
For more information about the Warren Buffett Lunch listing, please contact GLIDE at (415) 674-6070 or at Buffett@Glide.org. For more information about GLIDE please visit www.Glide.org.