The 4th Annual Beekley Designer Handbag Bingo event raised the bar once again by bringing in more donation money than the prior years. Thanks to our guests for helping in this achievement where 100% of proceeds go to The Beekley Health & Wellness Breast Center at Bristol Hospital in Connecticut.
This event has become a tradition. Our guests know it is the first Friday of every October at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bristol, CT. Many of our guests have attended all four years and it has become a “girl’s night out."
This year, we even had a table purchased for a team-building event. We had 289 guests; three of which were men. One male guest won two prizes (you should hear the cheers in the room when a man wins a prize!)
As part of our tradition, we always start the event by applauding cancer survivors and women in the fight against all types of cancer. We were pleased when Susanne Colle, Vice President of New Markets at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort, offered to purchase a table on behalf of Mohegan Sun and invite Breast Cancer survivors from the Beekley Heath & Wellness Breast Center to attend the event.
This year, I decided to ask some of our Beekley volunteers and guests about their experience:
“My favorite moment was meeting several invited guests of the Beekley Breast Center. One woman shared with me that she was toward the end of her treatment, with a couple chemotherapy sessions to go. Her face radiated a sense of accomplishment and pride. Another was a breast cancer survivor, and a regular patient of the center, who was accompanied by her daughter. It surely left me feeling happy and privileged to be a part of showing them a great evening”, shared Kristie Oren, volunteer and Beekley Medical Associate.
“I feel so charged up when I leave at the end of the night. I’ve been smiling, laughing and genuinely enjoying myself the entire evening. The positivity and hopefulness and sense that we made a difference is so powerful” said Karin Copeland, volunteer and Beekley Corporation's Director of Continuous Learning and Leadership Development.
Guest Nancy Cappello, PhD, Founder of Are You Dense, Inc. stated “This was my second year attending the Beekley Designer Handbag Bingo. What a festive evening anticipating the thrill of winning a 'real' designer handbag and, at the same time, supporting the phenomenal Beekley Breast Health and Wellness Center at Bristol Hospital.”
Ashley Furstein, guest at the event shares, “It’s a very high spirited and inspirational event. Even if you don’t win, you walk out laughing and feeling like a million bucks for supporting such a great cause.”
And according to Luanne McDonough, also a Beekley Medical Associate exclaimed,“Beekley Bingo Night was a fun, frenzy of women in pink! Excitement was in the air and I love that I always seem to win something! But even better, the money raised is a big win in the fight against Breast Cancer! Together, we make a difference one patient at a time.”
So year after year, we will continue to shout BINGO to ensure that our community’s breast center remains relevant for the earliest possible detection.
Designer Handbag Bingo
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Melissa Vibberts
Director of Brand Management
