Panhellenic Council hosted ‘Get PURSEnal,’ its first purse fundraiser, in the Meadows Museum Friday night. The event raised more than $2,000. (Taylor Martin/ The Daily Campus)
Yves Saint Laurent, Kate Spade and Tory Burch were just some of the designer purses found in Meadows Museum Friday night.
No, they weren’t attached to museumgoer’s arms; they were there to raise money.
Southern Methodist University’s Panhellenic Council conducted its first purse fundraiser featuring gently used and new designer purses to raise money for the eight National Panhellenic Conference sororities’ individual philanthropies.
The fundraiser accumulated more than $2,000 in purse sales and silent auction accessories.
Inside the Meadows Museum, SMU students, faculty, alumni and Dallas locals sipped on pink punch and munched on hors d’oeuvres while shopping.
Forty-five minutes into the event, 25 bags had already been sold, racking in an estimated $500.
Six round tables were embellished with bags ranging from $10 to $60.
Coach, Juicy Couture, Dooney and Bourke, Tommy Hilfiger and Longchamp were among the designer bags available for purchase.
The event also featured a silent auction on a handful of selected bags that ranged from $100 to $400.
SMU sophomore Moriah Momsen was the creative mind of the event.
Momsen said that she had gotten the idea from a similar event hosted by the Women’s Fund in El Paso, her hometown.
“In El Paso, they throw an event called ‘The Power of the Purse’ in order to raise money,” Momsen said.
The Power of the Purse draws in nearly 400 women with sales of over 300 handbags through the silent and live auction and shopping.
Through the event, the Women’s Fund of El Paso has awarded $75,000 in educational scholarships for low and moderate-income single mothers and other women in the El Paso community.
“I wanted to do the same sort of thing here, since it would benefit us and every girl loves purses,” Momsen said.
Some of the donated bags came from stores including: Melanie Gayle, Christy M, Tootsie’s, Luxe and Clotheshorse Anonymous.
Executive Vice President of SMU’s Panhellenic Council Rachel Brown reached out to Dallas boutiques in hopes of collecting a variety of stylish handbags.
“This is our first year to do this, and we’ve had a great turn out so far,” Brown said.
SMU staff member Dee O’Banner purchased a black Prada replica for $20.
“I saw the signs for the event and had to come check it out,” O’Banner said.
Although this was Panhellenic’s first year hosting the event, they hope it can continue into the future.
