The Power of the Purse events…

Helping Others: Raising funds for the Claudia Mayer/Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center

(disclaimer, hold on to your hats, this post is 4 events wrapped in to one blogpost! But there is a method to my madness…all of these events lead up to the fun Power of the Purse event on Monday, June 8th)

There have been many great events promoting June 8th’s, Power of the Purse event, benefitting the Claudia Mayer/Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center.  Be sure to mark your calendars for one of the most fun events of the year, “The Power of the Purse,” held at Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom by Fretz in Columbia, MD.  You do NOT want to miss it!

More than 1400 gently used and vintage purses will be available for cash and carry! New and Designer handbags, filled with goodies, will be included in their incredible Silent Auction. VIP guest, handbag designer Danielle DiFerdinando will be selling her beautiful designs, while Horseshoe Casino will bring unexpected surprises! Wine Tasting will be provided by Iron Bridge Wine Company, accompanied by light fare from Chuy’s, a Mexican Restaurant coming to Howard County in 2016.  Event is FREE (suggested donation $5) – no ticket required.

A huge thank you to Her Mind Magazine for hosting this event again this year.  As with any event, it takes tremendous effort and time, by many people, and it’s great that Her Mind leads the charge.  Pam Moss, of Her Mind Magazine and Michelle Wildman, of Wildman Events, have been working tirelessly coordinating everything leading up to The Power of the Purse. Thank you to all involved!

I’m sharing photos from several events leading up to The Power of the Purse.  I’m happy to say that Pam Long Photography will a sponsor again this year for the main event and hope to see you there.

Howard County Launch Party

In March, the Howard County Welcome Center hosted the Launch Party to celebrate the New Official Howard County Visitors and Residents Guide.  The delicious Elkridge Furnace Inn catered the afternoon event.  The Wine Bin supplied the drinks and guests had the opportunity to donate their gently used purses, win raffle prizes, network with fellow residents and business people and even tour the new Howard County Police Museum which is housed in the Visitor Center.  Here are some of the photos from this fun event.

Food was generously provided by Elridge Furnace Inn…

A huge thank you to The Wine Bin for supplying drinks throughout the evening.

Anita Broccolino, Michelle Wildman and Beth Ditman….

Anita manning the Power of the Purse table while Joan Eve, of Joan Eve’s Collectibles filled out her raffle tickets…

…and it ended up being the WINNING raffle ticket! Congrats, Joan! 😀

Attendees took advantage of the opportunity and checked out the Police Museum, located in the same building as the Visitor’s Center. Dee Cunningham of Cunningham Studios, Mary Klett, and Teri Carpenter, both from Howard County Chamber of Commerce, were fortunate enough to be able to speak with one of our favorite local police officers, Travis! Thank you for keeping us safe, Travis!

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I enjoyed chatting with Mike and Jane Johnson, of the Judge’s Bench! (Is that a gingerbread girl photo-bombing?!)

Getting ready to pull more raffle tickets….

Benny Gordon, of Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation, took a few minutes to explain the important role is foundation plays with educating.

Natalie Swirdovich of Pandora in The Mall in Columbia, and Beth Ditman, of Her Mind Magazine and Custom Media Options.

Macy’s by Appointment

Macy’s hosted an event and gave people a chance to come by, donate a purse and meet their amazing Personal Shopper, Annamarie deGregorio! You definitely need to check her out and enjoy the service she extends to Macy’s customers.  Be sure to ask about Macy’s by Appointment next time you’re at Macy’s and meet Annamarie.

Catered by the delicious Seasons 52 restaurant, fantastic raffle prizes and great company, it was a fun evening!

Vic Broccolino, former President and CEO of Howard County General Hospital, and Vincent Sharps, Executive Vice President and CMO of Sir Speedy, BWI.

Elaine Northrop poses with Michelle Wildman and Annamarie deGregorio, the amazing, resourceful and knowledgable personal shopper at Macy’s. Ask for Macy’s By Appointment and introduce yourself the Annamarie!

The beautiful Anita Broccolino and Michelle Wildman! Love them!

Pretty In Pink, Turf Valley

In April, hundreds of women shopped, sipped champagne, and dined the afternoon away with unlimited pink champagne for a good cause! These lovely ladies had over 50 vendors to choose from to engage is some retail therapy. There were delicious hors d’oeuvres and a served luncheon, followed by a fashion show which featured clothing provided by Chezelle’s, Octavia II, and Simply Divine Boutique!

Horseshoe Casino sponsored the unlimited Pink Champagne for all of the philanthropic women and surprised all attendees with gorgeous pink pashminas! We were treated like royalty!

Horseshoe Casino was the wonderful Pink Champagne Sponsor! Thank you, Randy Goldman and your incredible staff!

Kathy McClellan and Kara Windebank of Red Birch Design, a phenomenal home-staging business, pose with these beautiful show girls!

Vendors and boutique owners are getting ready for the hundreds of shoppers!

The very beautiful and smart business woman, Betsy Wendell, of Octavia, along with the Horseshow showgirls, show off the gorgeous silver cuff bracelets designed by Michael Galmer.

I loved meeting these ladies…..

 Randy Goldman and the stunning ladies!

The table settings were beautiful….

Okay, seriously, how beautiful is this room?!  Horseshoe Casino surprised all of the guests with a pink pashmina for EVERYONE!!

The Hills of Milltown 5K Challenge

What a perfect day to have the 5th Annual race!  It was a gorgeous, sunny, breezy day – perfect weather to help us conquer the hills along this challenging course.  Volunteers arrived early and ready to help.  Local high school kids, residents, business owners were also there to lend a hand and help when needed.

This 5K was presented by the Ellicott City Historic District Partnership (ECHDP) to benefit beautification projects in the historic district of Ellicott City and Blossoms of Hope in support of the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center.

Thank you, everyone, for working together for another great cause!

Ed Lilley and his awesome volunteers hard at work while races sign in.

A little pre-race photo shoot with dad…

 

Dave Carney, owner of The Wine Bin, convinced his daughter to hang with him for the entire hilly route.  Right before the finish line, he doused her with a bottle of water and sprinted to the finish to beat her!!

He just about knocked her out with his celebratory finish!

As you can see, he wasn’t too excited about it! 😀

The results 🙂 …….

 All in good fun!

Thank you to everyone who participated in these fundraising events! Every one of you is truly awesome! We are united in our efforts to stamp out cancer once and for all! Together, we can make a difference!

We hope to see you soon!

Please remember, an incredibly fun event: The Power of the Purse!!  June 8th, Power of the Purse, benefitting the Claudia Mayer/Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center.  Be sure to mark your calendars for one of the most fun events of the year, “The Power of the Purse,” held at Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom by Fretz in Columbia, MD.  You do NOT want to miss it!