United Way Auction Begins Today; Items Include Wilco Suite, Carlos Santana Guitar

By Chad Garrison on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 9:48 am

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You can hang with this man if your price is right.

The United Way of Greater St. Louis is gearing up for its 2011 fund drive, and it's kicking it off with an online auction that went live just this morning.

Noteworthy items up for bid today include a luxury suite at the sold-out Wilco concert at Peabody Opera Hall in October and backstage passes to Carlos Santana at the the Fox Theatre and an autographed guitar.

Not a music fan? The auction has items for the food lover (a chef's tasting at Tony's), beer lover (VIP tasting and tour at the Anheuser-Busch brewer) and the sports fanatic (throw out the first pitch at a Cardinals' game or take your family to the Olympic Games in London).

Lots more items, too, can be found at givebidwin.org.

Last year the United Way of Greater St. Louis raised more than $68 million, money that's used to aid non-profits and provide assistance to nearly one in three people in the metro area.