Give a purse, get a purse -- and a prize to boot.That was the promise of Friends of WomenSafe's first-ever Purses & Pastries event at…
Give a purse, get a purse — and a prize to boot.
That was the promise of Friends of WomenSafe’s first-ever Purses & Pastries event at the Munson Township Hall April 17.
One hundred and twenty-one handbag-hungry women brought in their gently used purses, stuffed with white elephant prizes, along with a donation to the foundation, and waited for their number to be called in this uniquely charitable gift exchange.
All of the money raised through direct donations, ticket sales and raffle tickets for the grand prizes of designer handbags will be made available to WomenSafe, Geauga County’s domestic violence shelter for families in crisis.
Nancy Temple is the president and founder of Friends of WomenSafe and she credits the members of the organization with the ideas and energy to pull off what was a very successful event.
“We are not volunteers,” Temple emphasized. “We are members. We have a sense of ownership and that means this is a guilt-free organization.”
To date, Friends of WomenSafe has given over $300,000 to the shelter as unrestricted funds, which Temple emphasizes is a necessary distinction.
She founded FOWS after serving on the board of WomenSafe and being frustrated when funds for plumbing or other maintenance emergencies could not be freed up from the restricted funding WomenSafe received through various grants.
As a result, her idea for a charitable organization has grown to one that can provide not only money, but the kind of things that go beyond what money can buy.
Temple remembers a young mother in her early 20s, who was finally able to return to high school and wanted a school jacket. Funding from FOWS provided her with a precious memento of her achievement that state grant money would not have covered.
“It was $85. There was no way she could afford it. But with the money we provided, the shelter was able to buy it for her,” Temple said. “That may sound petty, but it was huge to her.”
Temple recalled another woman, who came to the shelter with a 4-year-old son who had never had a birthday party. WomenSafe used FOWS money to throw a party for him, complete with a clown and balloons.
Sunday’s Purses & Pastries event drew in more cash than even Temple expected, with two designer bags being raffled for almost $800.
Coach donated a new purse at a retail value of $275 and a private donation of a Steve Madden purse valued at $98 increased ticket sales.
The pastries portion of the party was also a big hit, with 17 people donating items that totaled more than 500 pieces of delectable dessert.
While a few members of FOWS are professional caterers who chipped in to make tasty punches and decorate the tables, the group’s charter stipulates that no member can take any payment for their service to the group, so each sweet treat was truly given from the heart.
Once everyone’s sweet tooth was sated, the handbag portion of the day started with a speech by award-winning Chardon Toastmaster Juel Leonard.
She gave a short but sweet overview of the history of the handbag, from the earliest pouches swung on ropes to medieval beaded treasure purses to modern couture statement pieces. The biggest changes to purses seem to have happened in the last century, with the addition in the 20s of army cargo zippers and intense material restrictions during World War II that led to bags of fabric, knotted rayon and cardboard replacing traditional leather.
The highlight of the day was the “Purse Pull,” when attendees were called up by random number to pick a gently used purse stuffed with a mystery gift. Some guests received candles or candy inside their purses, while others received gag gifts like celebrity perfume. But, for guests like Judy Somppi of Grand River, the real prize was donating to WomenSafe.
She and her friend, Joan Lavrich, drove down for the event because the purse pull they attended before was so much fun.
“We had a purse pull in Fairport,” said Somppi. “But I’ve also donated (to WomenSafe).”
Temple is proud the organization she chartered in 2007 has grown so much and raised so much money for what she considers a worthy cause, but she doesn’t have time to rest on her laurels.
The next Friends of WomenSafe event takes place on May 11 at St. Mary’s Church in Chardon. It features a “lavish gift raffle.”
The luncheon will be accompanied by Cleveland’s own Dan Ruminski, author of “Cleveland in the Gilded Age,” and his talk on “The Women of Millionaire’s Row – Saints, Sinners & Specters.”
Tickets for the FOWS spring luncheon are $30 or $35 for vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free and can be purchased through www.fows.info.
