In March of 2022 former Royals pitcher, Ian Kennedy, signed a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks prompting a move and the sale of his $2.9M, 12,500 sqft home in south Overland Park, KS. With a house full of items, a cross country move in front of him and Spring Training in full swing, Kennedy hired Brown Button Estate Sales to host a moving sale on his behalf and handle all the items that he wasn’t moving to Arizona.
The estate sale was open to the public April 21st through 23rd, 2022 featuring high-end furniture and home decor including pieces by Hickory Chair, Bernhardt, Alfonso Marina, Century, & Drexel Heritage, as well as teak patio furniture, a huge shuffleboard table, and a large amount of Royals clothing and memorabilia, with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit, Consider the Lily.
Ian Kennedy Estate Sale Press Coverage
To ensure a significant sale and a large amount donated to charity, Brown Button put out a press release and shared the details of the sale directly with its media contacts which resulted in extensive press coverage of the sale:
Estate Sale Benefits Charity
Per the Kennedy family’s request, all proceeds from the estate sale were donated to Consider The Lily, a non-profit organization in the Philippines that helps rescue girls from exploitation. Since 2011, Consider The Lily has rescued over 113 girls, providing for these girls’ physical, emotional, and educational needs, while giving them a safe home. The estate sale raised over $52,000 for the charity.
In addition to the estate sale, Brown Button worked with the Kennedys and their MLB friends to set up a raffle to raise more funds for the charity. Included in the raffle were a camouflage KC Royals Memorial Day jersey signed by Ian Kennedy, a bobblehead and baseball signed by Alex Gordon, a Marucci bat signed by Hunter Dozier, and a framed print signed by Ian Kennedy and several Padres players. Between the memorabilia raffle and a 50/50 raffle an additional $2,188 was raised.
After the sale Ian Kennedy posted his appreciation on his Instagram account saying,
“I'd like to send out a few "Thank yous" to some people. First, I'd like to thank @brown_button for putting together a first class estate sale for us at our home in Bucyrus. With their help we are going to donate all the proceeds from the estate sale to @considerthelilyinc. Also, thanks to @rmigolfcarts for donating a golf cart to shuttle guests from street parking to the estate sale. Finally, thank you to some of my former teammates, @alex.gordon.4 @hdozier_17 for their signed donation items. Go and check out @brown _button and click the link in their bio If you can't make it to the estate sale and would like to give to @considerthelilyinc click the link in their bio. Thank you again everyone!”
Ian Kennedy joined the Kansas City Royals in January 2016 as a starting pitcher, then finished his last two seasons with the team as a successful closer. During the 2019 season Kennedy recorded his 20th save of the year, ranking him as the sixth pitcher to have 20 wins and 20 saves since saves were recorded starting in 1969. Kennedy pitched for the Royals through the 2020 season.
Check out the full video walkthrough of the sale below:
