Auction will benefit Michael's Feat BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - The Student Government Association of Monmouth University is hosting its sixth annual charity auction Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Anacon Hall. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Michael Gerard Puharic Memorial Foundation, also known as Michael's Feat. Admission to the event is free and several area businesses and restaurants, as well as Monmouth University offices and departments, have donated auction items that include dining gift certificates, athletic tickets, salon services and sports memorabilia. Michael's Feat is a local nonprofit organization designed to support, give comfort and ease the burden of parents with seriously ill children. The fund was established in memory of Michael Gerard Puharic, who died 83 hours after birth due to a chromosomal disorder. Founded by his parents, Adam and Dana Puharic of Aberdeen, Michael's Feat supports parents through material donations that enable them to bring their ill children home. Michael's Feat provides needed items, financial support, overnight bags and educational resources to families of seriously ill newborns. The nonprofit also provides items to local hospitals specifically designed to aid premature babies. Additionally, Michael's Feat is creating a Family Respite/Resource Center for parents with seriously ill infants at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Monmouth Medical Center on Second Avenue in Long Branch. The center will provide a resource library with medical dictionaries, magazines and books. It will also offer a comfortable environment for families to rest while visiting the NICU and a playroom area for siblings. The auction is open to the general public. Anacon Hall is located in the second floor of the Rebecca Stafford Student Center, adjacent to the commuter parking lot. For more information on the auction, call (732) 571-3484. For more information on Michael's Feat, call Dana Puharic at (732) 239-7887 or visit www.michaelsfeat.org.