Don't forget the ARA Foundation Reception With a Purpose, tonight at 5 p.m. During the reception, you can bid on 32 items from 28 companies during the ARA Foundation Charity Auction.

The reception, sponsored by Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Little Wonder/Mantis, Div. of Schiller Grounds Care, kicks off immediately after the show floor closes and will include hors d’oeuvres plus complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks for the first hour. The live charity auction is sponsored by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, which also will conduct the auction.

To register for an auction bid number prior to the auction in New Orleans, visit the ARA Foundation in the ARA Member Resource Center, Booth No. 6535, on the show floor or the Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Booth No. 8128.

Among the items donated for the auction are two travel packages, including six Gehl Club tickets to a Milwaukee Brewers game from Gehl Co., West Bend, Wis., and a 2012 John Deere Classic PGA tour package from John Deere, Moline, Ill. Electronics are on the docket this year, with an Apple 32GB WiFi-ready iPad 2 from EDCO – Equipment Development Co., Frederick, Md.; a Dell Inspiron touchscreen computer from Point-of-Rental, Grand Prairie, Texas; and a Barnes & Noble NOOK® color and MicroSD card donated by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Unique items also include a case of wine and a 78-in.-tall reproduction Harley Davidson gasoline pump.

Equipment up for auction includes products such as the COOLIT2600 portable air conditioner from AirPac, Front Royal, Va.; the U-Sand Pro random orbit floor sander from Cherryhill Manufacturing Corp., Indiana, Pa.; a LSC (LightSource Compact) Light Tower from Doosan Portable Power, Statesville, N.C.; a CTS12 RIP-R-STRIPPER from General Equipment Co., Owatonna, Minn., and a choice of the BC2600HH Brush Cutter or OS900SPH Overseeder from Billy Goat Industries, Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Proceeds from the auction and donations help support the ARA Foundation and its programs, including the scholarship programs, the international rental business leadership program, the disaster relief and recovery program and the Rental Executive Advisory Program (REAP).

All items will be unreserved, meaning everything will sell to the highest bidder and there are no minimum bids or reserve prices, and no sales tax will be collected. All auction items are brand new equipment and packages, and will be shown at the auction via a PowerPoint® presentation.

Equipment and packages can be seen at the booths of the donating exhibitors as well as online at ARAfoundation.com. All sales are final and purchases must be paid in full on auction day. Allied Financial Solutions, Booth No. 6820, is offering financing for the auction, six months same as cash, and will be at the event to answer any questions. Payments will be made to the ARA Foundation.

Find photos and cmoplete descriptions of all auction items here.