Bidders this week will get the chance to drink coffee with Hillary Clinton, sing with Sting, or perform Shakespeare with Patrick Stewart — virtually. These and other prizes will be offered in an online auction to support the International Rescue Committee and its efforts to help refugees and others battle the coronavirus pandemic. Sotheby’s auction house and Google are sponsoring the auction to raise funds for the nongovernmental organization run by former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. “As a global community, we are only as strong as the weakest link in the chain, and millions of refugees and displaced people are now facing a double emergency with the virus reaching their communities,” Miliband said. Participants can also bid on a tea with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a conversation with comic actor Sasha Baron Cohen and a virtual tour of Highclere Castle, where the “Downtown Abbey” television series was filmed. Stars Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern will be the personal tour guides. The online auction runs May 1 through May 8.
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