Students looking for a date can find one Thursday evening — all they have to do is place a bid.

A date auction will be held at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Wallace-Wilson Commons. The money raised will be donated to Alexandra Stewart, a 5-year-old Ames girl whose parents died in an apartment fire last month.

Residents from brother and sister floors Rambo House and Lantz House in Wallace Hall will be on the auction block. Wallace Hall Director Jon Wheeler will be the auctioneer.

Ten females and 10 males will be up for bids. The participants will then arrange their own dates.

Rachel Hafner, freshman in English, and Megan Shaw, freshman in pre-business, organized the event.

“We thought it would be something fun to do anyway, and when we found out about the little girl, we thought it would be worthwhile to raise the money,” Hafner said.

Hafner and Shaw prepared for the event by setting up a stage, decorating the commons and posting flyers for the event.

“We’ve been hanging posters and taking pictures of people who are being auctioned. We’re putting them up in the Towers and letting people know by word of mouth,” Shaw said.

Hafner and Shaw do not have a specific monetary goal in mind.

“We’re hoping people show up because the more money we make, the more we can help the girl,” Shaw said.

No matter what the bids go for, though, at least some money will be raised, Hafner said. “We have a minimum bid of $2, so we’ll make guaranteed $40,” she said.

Bill Roller, sophomore in agricultural education, is one of the men being auctioned Thursday.

He thinks there will be a good turnout.

“I have great expectations for it. I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it around Towers,” he said.

Roller said many of the people up for bid are nervous, but they are looking forward to the event.

“I’m going to try and have fun with it,” he said. “It’s a good way for people to meet, and it’s for a good cause.”

The money raised will be deposited directly into a bank account formed for Stewart. Residence hall students started the Stewart Project Fund earlier this year and already have raised more than $400.