Karen Sorbo has dedicated her life to her passionate pursuits of making a difference whether it is sharing her story of triumphs as a motivational speaker or exceeding the fundraising goals of the organizations' she serves as an auctioneer. She has used her life experiences to cultivate her compassionate heart for helping others and to best use her talents to inspire others to do the same.

Karen understands hardships and the emotional toll they can have. For example, as a young teenager she was stricken with a debilitating kidney disease that temporarily paralyzed her. This left her in a wheelchair pondering whether she would ever walk again and what will become of her life. Fortunately, she “miraculously” recovered (as cited in her University of Minnesota Hospital records) from this ailment and is forever grateful for what she learned from this traumatic experience. It taught her to love, appreciate and empathize with others regardless of what hardships they have faced.

Since 1993, Karen has successfully built her career as one of the leading national fundraising auctioneers based on her love and compassion for people. She has developed strong working relationships with the organizations she serves. Over time, she has achieved “celebrity status” as her clients are always eager to sign her up as the “headliner” for their annual events.

Karen’s dedication to a cause goes beyond her “star” performance on the stage. Through the years she has developed a philanthropic spirit. For instance, if she sees a newer and smaller organization struggling to reach their financial goals, she enlists her mother to make the winning bid on her behalf for items in the live auction that are not performing as expected.  

Also, Karen studies and lives the organization’s mission, so she can enlighten the audience to the needs of each worthy cause. In March 2006, she was part of a delegation that traveled to Peru for Smile Network International, a Minnesota-based non-profit. This delegation included doctors who performed necessary surgeries to repair the cleft lips and palates of children. Karen was able to see first-hand the importance of this organization’s work in putting smiles back on children’s faces. She used this experience to emphasize the urgency of raising funds for these life-changing procedures.

Karen’s growing success was highlighted in two articles in 2006. In October, the Twin Cities Business magazine published “One-Woman Show” noting her success as Minnesota’s top charity auctioneer. Within this article, Karen attributes her success to having humility. She is not one to claim to be perfect, but she does recognize when she makes a mistake and what can be learned from it. She uses these not-so-comfortable experiences to hone her craft as auctioneer and build on her highly successful career.

In December, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine published “The Selling of Karen Sorbo” which gives a personal account on “how a self-hating, overweight farm girl became the queen of charity auctioneering.” It shares how this once not-so-glamorous girl turned into the stunningly beautiful and caring woman she is today, who by the way does hold the title of Mrs. Minnesota International  in 1991.

Presently, Karen performs nearly 100 charitable auctions per year. She immerses herself into all aspects of the event ensuring each one is a success. This is emphasized by her favorite quote from the late Erma Bombeck:

...When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and I could say, "I used everything you gave me."

Karen truly is “Committed to making a difference!”