Was it planned, or just a happy coincidence? Either way, having designer handbags as prizes at a benefit attended by women who open their wallets for The Gathering Place was a cool idea if ever there was one.
Bunko & Bags was the theme for the fourth edition of this summer fundraiser chaired by Rae Lapporte and Kelly Hyer and held at the University of Denver Cable Center. CW2 news anchor Natalie Tysdal was mistress of ceremonies.
The theme also was carried out in the party favors and the signature drinks. Each of the 170 guests went home with cosmetics bags filled with Clinique products donated by Macy’s Cherry Creek and those who chose to could enjoy “Pink Purse” or “Kate Spade” cocktails with the coconut shrimp, crab cakes, crunchy tortellini and assorted chocolates catered by LeBrian’s.
In return, guests contributed bags of toiletries that will be dispensed through Betsy’s Cupboard, a source of personal hygiene items for the homeless women that The Gathering Place serves. The Gathering Place is Denver’s only daytime drop-in center for women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty.
When the Bunko scores were tallied, the co-chairs rewarded such winners as Debbie Labier, Mary Frances Hummel, Cindy Diamond, Hayden Collins, Lauren Sveen and Cathy Caldwell with handbags donated by a host of designers and retailers, including Trista Sutter (B’s Purses),, Longchamp and Etienne Aigner. Elaine Card, a new member of The Gathering Place Association, walked away with the grand prize, an Isabella Fiore purse valued at $875.
Hyer and Lapporte were aided by a committee made up of Carole Buyers, Liz Rollins, Beth Casey, Lee-Ann Krauss, Alix Corboy, Suzanne MacKenzie, Laura Quisenberry, Melissa Coleman, Kristen Corporon, Ann Davis, Betsey Fuller, Jill Hibbeln, Carla Ayers, Kenda Noble, Nancy Holst, Jackie Breland, and Julie Buckley.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. She also contributes at.
