Celessa Dietzel Freshman Steve Krager holds up his computer to display the auction that his older brother, senior Scott Krager, set up on eBay to raise money for tsunami relief.

A SMC from Robbins has given up more than the average student to support victims of the tsunami. Scott Krager, a senior, sold his younger brother on eBay to raise money for charity.

The auction for Steve Krager ended Monday evening, giving the winner one date with the freshman at the Rusty Pelican Cafˇ for $76.45. All the proceeds from the auction were given to the SPU Tsunami Relief Fund, and Steve agreed to match the winning bid with his own donation.

The Krager brothers are two of many SPU students who are finding creative ways to raise money for SPU's Tsunami Relief Project. Other fundraisers include a Halo2 tournament, the Falconnettes selling roses, a benefit concert and the One-to-Five campaign with Seattle University (SU).

The brothers had been discussing creative ways to raise money for tsunami victims, and the idea of an auction came up in conversation, but neither took it seriously at the time. When Scott went home, however, he decided to post an auction for a date with his brother without informing him.

"He told me the next day in an email," Steve said. "My first reaction was, 'oh my gosh, I can't believe he actually did it!'"

Neither publicized the auction, but word of the auction spread quickly through the campus, Scott said. "I didn't tell anyone about it, but people found out. Friends would come up and ask if it was really me that put my brother up on the auction."

The Krager brothers are not alone when it comes to thinking outside the box for fundraising.

Many SPU students have shown great initiative in raising money for victims of the tsunami, Associated Students of Seattle Pacific (ASSP) President Mike Kitson said. "I've been really impressed with all the grassroots projects. That's been the most rewarding part of this whole process for me."

In all, the Tsunami Relief Project has raised over $14,400 in aid, and Kitson thinks that the project's goal of $20,000 will be met by the end of the year.

The One-to-Five campaign is the first time that Seattle's two private universities have worked together in raising money for charity, Kitson said.

The original idea was to have a competition between the two schools, but as the idea progressed, representatives from each university wanted to show support, not competition, he said.

The campaign concluded with a ceremony at halftime of the men's basketball game at SU Saturday night. Representatives from each school brought paper chains onto the court, with each link in the chain representing a dollar given to the fund. The chains were joined in a symbol of linking the schools' link as communities and partners, Kitson said.

Between the two schools, the campaign raised over $5,000. SPU raised just over $2,900, and that is being counted as part of the total for the Tsunami Relief Project. When SU first approached SPU about the idea, SPU had already started the project, and this campaign fits under that larger umbrella, Kitson said.

Direct giving has dropped off somewhat, he said.

"It was easier for students to give when it was fresh in their minds and in the news," he said. "However, the events put on by students keep money coming in."

"I think that it's something people need to not forget about, even though it's not in the news as much," Scott Krager said.

The goal of the project was not only to raise money, Kitson said, but to create awareness of aid issues around the world.

"I hope this isn't the end of talking about tsunami relief and other global aid issues," Kitson said. "My hope has been that this would spark interest in impacting issues around the globe."