The Vashon Senior Center, facing a $25,000 cut in funding from King County, is hosting its first auction in three years.

Willow Eaton, the center’s director, said she hopes to raise $20,000 from the auction, which will be held Feb. 27. “That would get us off to a really good start,” she said.

For more than 25 years, the center was under the auspices of Senior Services, a Seattle-based nonprofit. Last year, the senior center, which wanted more local control, became a part of the Vashon Park District, a relationship that is working well, Eaton said.

But the park district doesn’t provide any funding for the senior center. And while the cut in county funds has nothing to do with the shift, it underscores the center’s need to work hard to secure a strong base of local support, said Eaton.

“We’re going to have to be really proactive in terms of our fundraising effort,” she said.

The auction promises to be a strong one, Eaton said. The center has already secured several donations, including a holiday excursion to Mexico. And volunteers have begun selling raffle tickets for a watercolor that seniors painted with the help of renowned Island artist Geri Peterson.

The winning ticket will be drawn at the auction. The painting, on display at the senior center, “is gorgeous,” Eaton said.