When Stephanie Huber visited Florida last summer, one of her goals was to find the perfect designer purses that could be used to raise money for the Bradford Regional Medical Center Auxiliary scholarship fund.
Huber, who is executive director of the Auxiliary, will see those same beautiful leather purses and wallets won by participants of the inaugural Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser March 1 at the Bradford Club. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and bingo, called by Jeff Carson, begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $30 and will include a complimentary drink, a set of 10 bingo cards and light hors d’oeuvres. Additional bingo sets will be available for purchase, and door prizes will include a 32-inch flat screen television. Chinese auction baskets for Yankee Candles, Northern Lights candles and other merchandise will also be available.
“All the funds we’ve raised go to the scholarship fund for two nursing and two radiology” students from McKean County, Huber noted. She said McKean County students who plan to attend the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford as well as Jamestown Community College in Olean, N.Y., are eligible for the scholarships. While the bingo event is the largest fundraiser conducted by the Auxiliary, which operates the hospital’s HeartStrings Gift Shop, the organization also regularly conducts book sales and painting classes to raise additional money for the scholarships.
Huber, who also manages the gift shop, said tickets for the bingo event will be available for purchase at the shop, located in the hospital’s main lobby and open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. As there are 125 tickets available, they should be purchased early as seating is limited. She said Northwest Bank, represented by Dana Williams, is the lead sponsor of the event.
“We’re hand-in-hand with A Girl’s Night Out committee, which is represented by Karen Pecht and Kim Douglas,” Huber said.
The purses, which all have unique designs, were purchased by Huber in St. Augustine, Fla., during her visit there last summer.
“We were on vacation and they have designer outlets down there in St. Augustine,” Huber remarked. “I was trying to get a wide range of styles and colors. They’re high-end … these are the real deal.”
Purses purchased include Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Dooney & Bourke, Coach and Fossil brands, with many valued at $300 or more.
She said the purses will be displayed in the window of Northwest Bank on Main Street in Bradford beginning next week until the event.
“Julie Marasco (regional president of Northwest) has given us permission to use the Northwest window,” she continued.
“All the purses will be in bags, so nobody will know what purse they’re playing for,” Huber added. “They’re going to be displayed on a table, and all of them will have the original tags and packing.”
Huber’s mother, Darlene Drehmer, accompanied her daughter on the Florida trip and plans to attend the bingo event.
“I bought 12 tickets for my group (of friends), we’re all coming,” Drehmer said. “This is a group of us who are widowed or single and we really have a good time … I think this sounds like a wonderful event.”
Jeanne Lowe, an Auxiliary board member, said she, too, thinks the bingo event is a unique way to raise funds.
“It’s a great idea for helping support the Auxiliary,” Lowe said. “It works toward the nursing (and radiology) scholarships we give to students every year.”
To reserve a seat for the bingo event, call 362-8582 or send emails to shuber@brmc.com.
