Your Stories: Saint Francis Auxiliary Sponsors Designer Purse Bingo Fundraiser

The second annual event will raise funds for the Women and Infants Maternity Pavilion.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $30, or at the door for $35. Guests are invited to bring their own food and beverages to the event, which is open to adults ages 21 and over. This cash-only event begins with a preview of the teacup auction at 2:00 p.m., followed by Bingo from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., with prize drawings during intermission.

“This is the second year the Auxiliary has sponsored Designer Purse Bingo,” notes Sally VanMeter, chair of the Auxiliary development committee. “Last year was great fun; we had more than 200 people in this big venue, which has an ample parking lot outside. Inside the Bingo Hall, TV screens are set up all around, so you can see the numbers called.”

This year, arriving guests will once again enter an anteroom with the generous selection of tempting teacup auction items on display — everything from $25 gift certificates with local merchants to elaborate themed baskets featuring the high-quality decorative pieces and well-known candy brands available at the Saint Francis Hospital Gift Shop, all chosen and arranged by shop manager Dawn Costanza and her staff. Auxiliary members wearing lavender aprons will offer raffle tickets for purchase — 10 tickets for $10 — to those eager to try their luck on these treasures.

“Last year, we had all the Bingo purses on display,” Sally adds. “They were all donations from the Auxiliary Board — ten purses, all by well-known designers like Coach, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors, to name a few.” And there’s more: A door-prize ticket is included with the cost of admission. While Sally won’t give away all the details, she does note that one 2024 prize is a bracelet, worth almost $500, donated by Lux & Bond. Another lucky winner will receive $500 worth of car washes.

Proceeding past the teacup auction, guests will find the Bingo Hall, featuring long tables, around which groups of friends and families cluster. “Everybody brings their own drinks, appetizers, and treats. We have a designated person to oversee each table,” Sally notes. “People set up quite elaborate little snack bars for their group, and a lot of people go around sharing their food with others, so it really becomes quite a party. There was a lot of laughter.”

Along with the cheer, another metric signaled last year’s Bingo event a success: “We took in around $7,000 to support our beneficiary. The Bingo caller was a professional and he donated his services. All of our 40 auction items were donated, as well.”

These funds, of course, are already earmarked for Women and Infants Maternity Pavilion, and Sally provides historical context: “The Auxiliary was formed in 1925. Since our beginning, we’ve raised more than $16 million, all of which went right back into Saint Francis Hospital. We invite everyone to come out and enjoy Bingo with us. Bring your friends and family, have fun, and help us support the hospital that is so important to all of us.”

To purchase tickets in advance, visit the Auxiliary Gift Shop on the main floor of the Rotunda in the Patient Care Tower of Saint Francis Hospital, or call Gift Shop Manager Dawn Costanza at (860) 714-5602.

Submitted by Cynthia Rockwell, Saint Francis Auxiliary.

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