Get Up 8 Foundation Hosts 5th ‘The Auction’ on Oct. 1

This year Get Up 8 will raise money to help Jessi Lopez get a prosthetic leg, after he lost his leg following a motorcycle accident in June.

Get Up 8 Foundation will host its fifth annual signature event, “The Auction,” on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Dave & Buster’s in Orange.

“The Auction” celebrates the energy, passion and power people have to band together to help out a person in their community. People come together to reach out and give a hand to someone who has fallen on hard times.

“The Auction” incorporates raffle, auction, excitement and camaraderie that guests will be talking about for a long time. It features a raffle and live auction of items such as two Disneyland Deluxe Annual Passes, a 13.3″ Macbook Air Laptop, a vacation package and an Apple iPad Mini with retina display.

In addition, there is an extensive silent auction of sporting event tickets, autographed sports merchandise, theater tickets and more.

“The Auction” starts at 7:30 p.m. with participant and sponsor registration starting at 7 p.m.

This year’s beneficiary is Jessi Lopez, who is described by his friends as a very selfless and kind person. On June 30, he was struck by a truck while riding his motorcycle to work. He was rushed to the hospital and was immediately taken into surgery.

After surgery, his orthopedic surgeon stated that his left foot had suffered numerous injuries and that Lopez had two options, reconstruction or amputation. The surgeon explained that if he wanted to go with reconstruction, he would have an abnormal foot, be unable to wear a shoe or sandal, have to wear a custom- made boot, and could be in pain for the rest of his life.

Lopez had three surgeries before he decided to proceed with amputation. He stated, “This was the toughest decision I ever had to make.”

Get Up 8 is raising funds to help Lopez get a prosthetic leg so that he can continue to chase his son and live his active lifestyle.

The foundation was formed to enhance the quality of life for underserved individuals, families and groups in need in the community. It was created by a small group of friends in Southern California who believed in the importance of a strong, well-supported community. Get Up 8 is putting into place fund development opportunities to help aid these individuals, families and groups who have fallen on hard times and need assistance to overcome their challenges.

Get Up 8 is a 501 c(3) nonprofit organization. All Get board members and staff are volunteers.

Ryan Okita, a member of the Board of Directors, said, “Our passion is helping others on a large yet much more personal scale that you do not see from organizations today. We are a grassroots organization and do not have a goal of saving the world. If whatever we accomplish can help one person, we’ve done something wonderful.”

Tickets are available. Event details and information on the foundation can be found online at www.getup8.org.