Whether you have a one-time expense or need monthly assistance, the Resident Assistance Fund can provide support in the form of a scholarship to qualified residents so they can continue to live and thrive at Beatitudes Campus.
The awesome panel—Mayor Kate Gallego, Mayor of City of Phoenix, Dr. Maria Harper Marinick, Chancellor of Maricopa Community College District and Dr. Judy Jolley Mohraz, Trustee of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust – are leaving their mark on Phoenix.
One of the events we look forward to every year at Beatitudes Campus is Power of the Purse. This signature fundraising event, now in its seventh year, transforms the campus into a festive atmosphere for the afternoon. We can enjoy great food and drink champagne, visit with old and new friends, and of course, shop for lots of gently loved designer purses! This year, Power of the Purse will be held on Sunday, November 5th, from 2—5:00PM, and we invite you to join us! For our residents, we have special pricing for tickets—$45 (normally $95).
For those of you who are new to the campus, Power of the Purse (POP) is a party (on a grand scale), where gently loved designer purses of every stripe and color are auctioned. Why do we do this every year? We do it for you, our residents. The proceeds we earn from Power of the Purse support campus programs that connect us through our mind, body and spirit. Proceeds support our wellness programs, programs that exercise our minds as well as our bodies and programs that help us to expand our campus into the community. Funds that are raised also benefit the Resident Assistance Fund, our scholarship program that helps our residents who have outlived their assets. Last year, Power of the Purse raised more than $110,000 to directly benefit our campus. This year we expect to raise even more -a testament to the power of the purse!
On the day of the event, the areas around Town Plaza and the Rose Garden are transformed for a day into celebratory areas—complete with a giant tent and red carpet! The Bistro becomes a room full of purses, where we have a silent auction of beautiful purses. We also will have a “Purses with Prizes” table where every purse has a gift card or coupon worth $25. But, it’s not all about purses—we will have a “wine and fine spirits pull” where you can secure a bottle of wine or fine spirits worth at least $25.
Once you have placed your bid on your favorite purse, you can wander toward the Rose Garden where you can enjoy a casino area, Scotch and tequila tasting and more goodies. This year, “Papa” John DeFrancesco will entertain us with some jazz.
Near the end of the event, the big white tent in the Promenade becomes alive for the live auction and fashion show of purses, where our awesome auctioneer, Letitia Frye, will demonstrate how much passion she has for Beatitudes Campus. Many of you will remember Letitia from years past -she puts on a show you won’t want to miss!
It’s so heartwarming to see about 400 community and corporate leaders, campus friends, residents and family visit with each other, enjoy the beautiful and bountiful food prepared by our own campus chefs, buy purses and experience the power of Beatitudes Campus. The generosity and fun that we experience on this day cannot be matched!
Of course, an event of this magnitude would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. This year, The Weitz Company and Blue Cross Blue Shield are the Title Sponsors for the event, Morrison Community Living is the Red Carpet sponsor and JP Griffin Group and Angell Marketing are our Partner Sponsors. The Beatitudes Campus Auxiliary, as well as board members, vendors and staff have also stepped up to the plate to become sponsors. We are so thankful for the enduing support of our sponsors -they have such a passion for the residents and campus. With less than a month to go before the event, we have raised $118,700 so far in sponsorships.
Of course, an event of this size requires lots of planning and helping hands to make Power of the Purse successful! The Fund Development team manages the event, and most of the departments around the campus are involved. We are grateful to our Power of the Purse Steering Committee made up of community leaders and campus friends. This dedicated group of women has been securing donations -designer purses and other auction items – to make this day a great success. But mostly, it is you, our residents, who give us inspiration and encouragement to put on Power of the Purse every year. You are the most marvelous and loving ambassadors for the campus!
I invite you to join the party and buy your ticket from the Foundation Office (in Agelink). You can join your friends and neighbors and celebrate the Power of the Purse! Please call Barbara Wood (x16136) if you have any questions.
Power of the Purse 2016 was a phenomenal success in every way possible!
As the signature fund-raising and friends-raising event for the campus, Power of the Purse transformed the campus into a festive atmosphere on Sunday afternoon. It was a party on a grand scale, where gently loved designer purses of every stripe and color were auctioned off. Nearly 400 guests enjoyed great food and wine, wonderful friends, and, of course, lots of purses!
For those of you who are new to the campus, Power of the Purse is the signature fundraising event for the campus. This year is our sixth year of producing this event, and we have raised a half-million dollars for the campus over these s
ix years. Why do we do it every year? We do it for you, our residents! All the proceeds we earn from Power of the Purse are directed to support initiatives and programs for the campus, such as our commitment to assist residents who may be in need of financial help because they have outlived their own personal assets. Proceeds also help advance our programs, to help ensure that you have the greatest opportunity for living life at the highest potential.
Power of the Purse is a premier example of the campus at its best! It was a joy to see so many of our residents attending and participating on Sunday! A good number of you from all parts of the campus were around watching the tent go up on Saturday, as well. Who knew that Central Park Mall could be transformed into an elegant red-carpet venue?
More than one of you told me how happy it made you to see all the people milling about – it made me happy, too. Bringing “younger” people to the campus absolutely helps us change the stereotypes about aging and retirement communities. Over and over, in one conversation or another, I heard comments like, “I had no idea this community was so vibrant.” One of the Washington High School students told me that “These people are so cool!” We, of course, know all about the “coolness factor” of our residents, but how wonderful to have the larger community understand as well!
On behalf of the Fund Development team, our boards, and all the staff here at the campus, I would like to thank each one of you – our residents – for your support of this event. So many of you made contributions, purchased tickets, donated purses and helped to spread the word. With an event of this scale, I know it was also an interruption to daily life here. I am grateful for how cheerfully you accommodated all the festivities. You are such great ambassadors for the campus.
I’d like to thank our talented and dedicated staff – who dreamed, designed and orchestrated a spectacular day for us. Every department on campus stepped in to pull it all off. Cheers to our Dining Services team who never cease to amaze us with creative food and service. Our facilities teams were everywhere doing everything you can imagine to get the campus ready. Our accounting, admin, housekeeping, human resources, marketing, security and spiritual life teams all had important roles to play. Staff members from every department across the campus volunteered their time on Sunday afternoon for the cause. Everyone went the extra mile.
I am extremely grateful to our event guests and to the 25 sponsors who provided such generous support to the campus. A special thank you goes to our Title Sponsor, The Weitz Company, who has supported Power of the Purse since the beginning and in a multitude of ways. I also want to thank our Presenting and Partner Sponsors – BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona, Morrison Community Living, David Davies, Merrill Lynch, Beatitudes Campus Auxiliary and JP Griffin Group – for their generous support.
Hats off to the Power of the Purse Steering Committee, co-chaired by Monique Bontrager and Jennifer McKee. They met throughout the past year to help plan for this great event. This dedicated group of women has been securing donations – designer purses and other auction items – to make this day a great success. They spent countless hours prepping and preparing the purses for auction. A special thanks goes to Nancy Stouffer, our purse guru, who has been a champion of Beatitudes Campus for years.
My thanks to each and every one of you for being part of Beatitudes Campus and for helping us to live out our mission and values. Indeed, we are all blessed.
Below, find an extended video tour of the event:
https://www.facebook.com/BeatitudesPowerofthePurse/videos/1780857785510462/
