I spent the evening at the Power of the Purse event. Our local Women United — a branch of the United Way — put it on to raise money for children’s literacy. (You may have picked up on the fact that I’m obsessed with books, so I totally dig the cause.)
The gal I worked with to get the Cancer Services’ Count Moments necklaces and bracelets going also serves on the Women United board, and she asked if I’d be willing to design a commemorative necklace for the event. Seeing as it’s called Power of the Purse, I had a pretty obvious inspiration.
What do you think?
Instead of a traditional necklace, these pieces are lariats. The enameled purse charm slips right into the ring at the end of the chain. It’s 20 inches from end to end and can be worn as a Y-necklace or looking more traditional. All of the pieces are silver-plated.
I’d never been to any event like it. There were dozens and dozens of purses donated from local shops and people, waiting for purse-happy women to silently bid on them. I went after one of the six or seven Dooney & Burkes I saw and was promptly out-bidded.
But the aloud auction was where the jaw-dropping stuff went down. An Alexander McQueen messenger bag went for $875. Actually, it was a steal, as it retailed for something like $3,500.
But that wasn’t the most jaw-dropping stuff. No, that was when the auctioneers asked folks to donate $50, $100 or $600 to fund a week, a month or a semester of schooling for an underprivileged kid. You couldn’t help but blink back tears at the generosity you saw in the room as auction number after auction number got flicked up in the air.
I was happy to help raise some money for the cause, as half of every $30 necklace goes back to Women United to fund children’s literacy. I do, however have some leftovers, so if you’re interested, let me know! Leave a comment about it, or shoot an e-mail to Jaclyn1423 at yahoo dot com.
Good for you Jaclyn. It is so good to give back to the community isn’t it?