NEW YORK, NY.- The sound of an auctioneer’s gavel will be music to the ears of Austin area flood victims after Dallas-based Heritage Auctions offers dozens of rare, handcrafted guitars to raise money for the Austin Disaster Relief Network beginning Sept. 24. The special charity auction includes a Telecaster Copy Seattle Seahawks Guitar, “Keep Portland Weird! Stratocaster Copy as well as guitars featuring Texas themes, such as “Texas Rose”, a Stratocaster copy featuring a yellow rose, the Rustic Texas Flag Stratocaster copy as well as a number of additional guitars from makers across the country.

“Austin is Texas’ music capital and what better way to draw attention to these crucial recovery programs than a special charity auction offering collectible guitars,” said Kristen Schultz, Director of Charity Auctions at Heritage Auctions.

After the traumatic floods in Austin and the Texas Hill Country earlier this year the Dallas based club, Guys Building Guitars founder, Dan Chenault put the call out to individuals and clubs throughout the United States to help make guitars to benefit the flood victims. The effort created Guys Building Guitars Charity Auction Benefiting Austin Disaster Relief Network.

“I was at a guitar show selling raffle tickets for a guitar to benefit another cause and Lance Keltner (an Austin based musician) approached me and asked me if I could do something to help the flood victims in Wimberley and Austin. I knew I had to do something, so I put the call out to other guitar builders and my employer Rockler, who donated some of the guitar kits,” said Dan Chenault, founder of Guys Building Guitars, a Dallas club of instrument makers.

The beneficiary of the auction, The Austin Disaster Relief Network is a not for profit organization comprised of churches, ministries and businesses within the Christian community of Greater Austin to form a disaster relief alliance to help those in need in times of disaster. The Austin Disaster Relief Network is starting “phase 2” of recovery by helping the people impacted by the floods rebuild their homes and businesses.

The handcrafted keepsakes will be offered across three auctions, the first of which opens for bidding on Sept. 24, 2015 and closes at 10 p.m. CST on Oct. 20. Heritage Auctions will host two additional online auctions in November and spring 2016.