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In
just it’s sixth year, the “It’s In The Bag” Purse Silent Auction and Reception raised more than
$40,000 for the West Ashley-based Center For Women. What makes it even more impressive
was that last year Oprah Winfrey donated a purse to the auction that sold for $5,000. While other
celebrities participated this year, there was no
one item that sold for anywhere near the Oprah price tag, yet the fundraiser still raised more money
than last year.
“It was a great affirmation for us,” says
Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director of Center For Women. “This was our sixth
year and every year it grows incrementally. We have show n that the power of the purse is out there.”
Alterman credits part of this year’s success
to the addition of men “designers” to the
event. The Center For Women invites different people from the community to design purses for the “It’s
In The Bag” auction and people for the community can
bid on them at the silent auction and reception. The addition of “The Men’s Room” this year
welcomed some local celebrities, artists, and members of
the media, including myself who, with a little help from my friends, designed the “West Of”
purse, made out of old West
Of newspapers
(reduce, reuse, recycle). Ginger Rosenberg, marketing and outreach coordinator
for the Center For Women ended up with the masterpiece.
(Congratulations Ginger, just don’t get it wet!)
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“It
was a real validation from the men in the community that what we
are doing is important to everyone. That it’s a domino effect,”
says Alterman about the Men’s Room. She says that because of
the success of having men designers as a part of this year’s
auction, she plans to have a Men’s Room every year from now
on.
All
in all, there were 93 purses designed for the event, which was
held downtown at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Celebrity
designers included Jake Delhomme of the Carolina Panthers, Clay
Aiken of American Idol fame, tennis stars Serena and Venus
Williams, Chris Evert, and Maria Sharapova.
Some
of the big money makers for the event were Jack Alterman’s “Jack
and the Box” purse, which sold for $550, Karen Siegels’ “I
Rest My Case” went for $525, Ciaran Duffy’s “Ladies Lunch
With Tristan” sold for $450, Mary Norton from Mooroo’s “Aristotle”
sold for $370, and local artist John Carroll Doyle’s “For
The Woman On The Go” went for $325. But the biggest seller of
the night was David Rawle of Rawle-Murdy’s “Here’s Looking
At You” went for $1,000 between two people.
To
see the purses online, you can check out the Center For Women’s
website at www.c4women.org.
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