BINGO! Overwhelming response continues for annual Purses & Pearls event
Mar. 22—Despite the rain, it was all smiles and celebratory moods at Palestine Independent School District Education Foundations' annual Purses & Pearls event Thursday night at the Knights of Columbus Hall. With more than 500 in attendance, the KC Hall was at capacity again this year for the fourth Purses & Pearls PEF fundraiser.
"It's such a fun event to come to every year especially because it's for the kids," said Becky Ingram.
The PISD Education Foundation is a non-profit organization created to provide opportunities for excellence in education, promote innovative teaching and partner with the community to enhance the quality of education for all students at PISD. Proceeds raised by this event fund innovative classroom instruction and projects, classroom level technology and scholarships for graduating seniors.
This event is curated by PISD's Public Relations Director Larissa Loveless and the executive directors of the PEF.
"We love the continued overwhelming response from the community and that the crowd is so diverse, with people of all ages, and backgrounds, including alumni, teachers and school administrators, both young and old, many who have helped with the event in the past as a student and now come back to enjoy as an adult and others who were actual grant recipients provided by the monies raised through this event for the PEF," Loveless said. "It's a legacy event our hospitality students look forward to attending after working this event. It's truly something special, that for one night, in this town, so many people from so many diverse backgrounds come together for such a great cause."
Loveless noted that the crowd is also made up of family and alumni members who traveled to Palestine from out of town locations as far as Dallas and Houston for the one night event.
The more than 500 individuals in attendance enjoyed cocktails, champagne and heavy hors d'oeuvres. There were four rounds of BINGO along with handbag drawings for handbags with designer labels that included Coach, Kate Spade, Brahmin, Tory Burch and Consuela.
Those who purchased special flashing rings enjoyed several games of "High Low" for designer jewelry.
The highlight of the evening for many was the cookie number drawing for three Louis Vuitton handbags. According to Loveless, the cookie sale alone raised $29,000.
"I just love coming for the cause and to spend time with my girls so winning was just so exciting and overwhelming," said Carla Killion, a Louis Vuitton winner. "It's so fun every year!"
Those in attendance had so much fun, they are already making plans to purchase tickets and tables for this much loved community event next year.
Loveless said this past year's project supported by the foundation have included Meet Your Neighbor fields trips and a visit to ECO Land in Kilgore for Washington; physical education equipment and a book vending machine for Northside Elementary School; headphones for an end of year silent disco party for sixth grade and books for the existing book vending machine at A.M. Story School; Children's story books for Mrs. Mcguire's Principles of Education class at the High School for students to use in preparing lessons and working with younger grades; and field trips to local colleges for Mrs. Perez's English Second Language students — many who will be first generation graduates and first generation college students. The foundation also gives each student in the top 10% of the graduating class a $1,000 scholarship.
