Sept. 4, 2014
UTEP Athletics and the Miner Athletic Club hosted the annual Orange Fever Fiesta, presented by Western Refining, Sportsman's Elite and Costco on Saturday August 23rd, at Grace Gardens. The event supports student-athlete scholarships and this year enjoyed a 30% increase in funds raised over last year.
The 2014 edition began with a large silent featuring different packages and experiences provided by local businesses and UTEP.
New this year was the use of BidPal which allowed supporters to utilize their smartphones, tablets or computers to bid the day of the event. Bidding capability was available both at the event and off site.
The UTEP marching band and cheer squad gave a spirited dinner introduction. While attendees enjoyed their meal, nationally renowned speed painter Tim Decker put on a show. He created three original paintings on the spot and later unveiled a one-of-a-kind portrait of legendary coach Don Haskins with all four items up for bid.
"This year's Orange Fever Fiesta was another exciting event," said UTEP Director of Development, Bryan Gates." Our staff did a great job integrating new technology into the evening while keeping that personal touch our fans enjoy which no doubt helped raise more scholarship dollars compared to previous years."
Fans can continue to take part in Orange Fever Fiesta by participating in a special post event online auction which will be available in the coming weeks. This auction will include items that did not go in the original auction; an e-mail announcement will be made when the auction is ready for bidding.
UTEP Athletics would like to thank the following sponsors for their major contributions to this year's Orange Fever Fiesta: Western Refining, Sportsman's Elite, Costco, Glazer's, Price's Creameries, Enterprise/National, Sierra Providence Health Network, Dede Rogers, Neal Luther, NHCW Family Partnership, Tropicana Homes, Sun Travel and Grace Gardens.
The Miner Athletic Club (MAC) serves as the fund-raising arm of the UTEP Department of Athletics. The MAC's mission is to annually raise funds to offset the departmental cost of scholarships and sport programs supporting UTEP student-athletes. Funds are raised by the Miner Athletic Club through annual membership, major and planned gifts, the donor portions of season ticket sales and special events such as Orange Fever Fiesta.
