Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas — Tony Forina turned the live auction at the VAMOS 30th Anniversary celebration into more than a fundraising exercise, using humor, quick delivery and decades of experience behind a microphone to engage the audience while keeping attention focused on helping Rio Grande Valley students.
Forina served as auctioneer during the celebration of VAMOS, the Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships. He approached the assignment with the familiar style that has made him a longtime voice of Rio Grande Valley sports.
Forina has more than three decades of public-address announcing experience at UTRGV and its predecessor, the University of Texas-Pan American. He has also served as a master of ceremonies and sports broadcaster.
That experience showed as he transitioned the anniversary program into the auction.
“My name is Tony Forina, and I have the absolute pleasure of coming up and joining you today to serve as an auctioneer,” Forina told the audience. “I hope that you’ll be kind. I hope you will raise your arm plenty of times and remember that we’re all here to help out a fantastic cause.”
One of the strongest moments came before bidding began, when Forina introduced the four volunteers who would serve as auction spotters.
Instead of simply reading their names, Forina borrowed the style of a sports starting-lineup announcement, recognizing each volunteer with humor and personality.
The four spotters were Julian Alvarez III, Executive Vice President and Director of Community Relations at Lone Star National Bank; Richard “Richie” Cantu, President of the VAMOS Board of Directors and an attorney; José Gonzalez, General Manager of North Park Lexus Rio Grande Valley; and Sergio Contreras, CEO of Atlas, Hall & Rodriguez, LLP.
Forina jokingly introduced them by height and occupation, turning their entrance into an entertaining moment while ensuring each volunteer received recognition for giving his time to VAMOS.
His introduction of Contreras became particularly personal. Forina told the audience they had known each other since high school before sharing a humorous story about Contreras’ old nickname.
The approach accomplished something important for the fundraiser: it made the volunteers part of the entertainment while recognizing that their work had a serious purpose.
Forina’s ability to connect with a crowd has been developed over decades. He began announcing youth baseball at age 19 and later became a familiar public-address voice at university athletic events. He has said announcing provides him an opportunity to give back to his community.
At the VAMOS celebration, that experience was put to work for education.
Forina and the four spotters helped create an energetic fundraising environment on a night dedicated to 30 years of scholarships, mentorship and opportunity.
His performance showed that successful fundraising also depends on people who can connect a room to the cause—and make supporting that cause enjoyable.
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