A silent auction couldn’t live up to its name at a Monday event, with attendees cheering as baskets were sold off to raise money for the upcoming Relay for Life.

The service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega hosted the auction. It included baskets of various shapes, sizes and themes. All of the baskets were sold off to the highest bidders.

People who attended the event could bid on the baskets using tickets they purchased from members of the organization. The fraternity’s members held the auction to raise money to benefit Relay For Life, which is a fundraising relay race for the American Cancer Society. The goal for the silent auction was to raise $150, but the organization ended up raising $704.

“…We do a lot of fundraising for the school and other things to help NIU,” said junior psychology major Emily Tomkins.

The baskets, which the members customized themselves, held a variety of items to match a theme. The “Date Night” basket consisted of a romantic movie, sparkling juice and candy. There was also a Chicago Blackhawks gear basket which had a red scarf with the Hawks logo embellished on it, and a basket that was Nerf-themed and held a Nerf gun and accessories.

A basket for NIU fans included a tumbler, flag and a window cling-on sticker.

“It was really great to see how everyone pulled together,” said senior Ashley Steward, pre-physical therapy major. “We’ve had to cancel some meetings because of snows days and other things. It was really great to see that everyone really delivered with their baskets.”

Sophomore biology major Dorota Knaga was very excited to win her cooking basket, which contained bowls, a serving dish, sprinkles for baking and some utensils. Knaga spent $20 in tickets and placed her tickets in various baskets.

“I choose this one because there was lots of stuff in it,” Knaga said. “I really like to bake, too.”

This was the fraternity’s first time doing the silent auction and the members are hoping to do another one in the next year.