Bra Auction Racks Up $12,200 for Cancer Cause

Out of 227 sports bras and other items available in the , 159 sold for a combined amount of just under $12,000.

When cash donations are added, the total comes to about $12,200, surpassing organizers’ goal of $10,000.

“The interesting thing was that the ‘big names’ that might have drawn you to us didn't sell as well as we had hoped,” the Bayer family, who helped organize the auction, said in an email. “There were some athletes that ‘came out of nowhere’ to garner amazing amounts. These were women who also embraced the event with great enthusiasm, and utilized their social media very well.”

The top six sellers were:

• Sarah Cattaneo, race car driver—$1,015
• Kathyrn Budig, yoga instructor and Women's Health magazine writer—$520.01
• Kristina Thorson, fastpitch softball player—$411
• Tabitha Dumo, dance choreographer seen many times on So You Think You Can Dance with her husband Napolean—$410
• Marzia Prince, professional fitness model—$365
• Christina Loukas, Olympic diver—$360

Twenty-nine bras are being shipped outside of the U.S., “so this is truly a worldwide event,” said the Bayers, who live in West Cobb.

Bidding in the weeklong auction ended Sunday evening.

The auction —Carey, Dave and their daughter, Emma, a student—and professional soccer player McCall Zerboni. Proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Survivors’ Network, Keep a Breast Foundation, and a California branch of Susan G. Komen, where Zerboni's family lives.

In 2011, the auction raised about $4,500.

When it comes to growing the auction for 2013, the Bayers said: “We do have a few thoughts, but nothing concrete yet. Of course, we want whatever it is to be even bigger. We will continue our fight against breast cancer.”

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