Friday, August 13, 2010

RE/MAX Painting Raises $50K for Kids

WINNER: Richard Filip, CEO of RE/MAX Texas, poses with RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly and the unique painting he won at auction.

A one-of-a-kind painting of the iconic RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon by speed painter Dan Dunn triggered a dramatic auction – and a huge donation for kids – at the 2010 RE/MAX Broker Owner Conference in Denver.

Richard Filip, CEO of RE/MAX of Texas, outdueled Broker/Owner Scott Yocum of State College, Pa., with a winning $50,000 bid for the painting, which Dunn created live during the Opening General Session. The auction benefited Children's Miracle Network.

"We'd like to put the painting up in the lobby at Houston's new children's hospital, opening in December," Filip says.

Yocum, who owns RE/MAX Centre Realty, didn't come away empty-handed. Earlier, he donated $11,500 for another painting Dunn created at the Opening Session – a whimsical image of Ray Charles. That auction benefited Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Yocum says the painting will hang in the lobby of his RE/MAX office.

You can watch Dunn in action by viewing videos of his act on YouTube.

A worldwide painting phenomenon, Dunn has performed his adrenaline-packed "Paintjam" act on daytime TV shows, such as "Ellen," "CBS Early Show," and "Good Day New York."

Dunn gained global attention for his unique skills after his teenage daughter posted a few videos of him on YouTube. A video of him painting the legendary Ray Charles has garnered more than 13 million views on YouTube.

By Deborah Ball Kearns, RE/MAX Times Online Associate Editor

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