Handbag auction supports programs for victims of domestic violence

  • By Andrea Brown Herald Writer
  • Friday, June 6, 2014 5:24pm
  • LifeEverett

It’s handbag heaven.

About 300 purses will be up for grabs at Thursday’s annual luncheon and auction fundraiser for Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County.

If things go as in previous years, all the bags will get grabbed.

“It’s fun. It’s quick. It’s for a good cause,” said Debra Bordsen, development director of the non-profit serving victims of domestic abuse. Services include a 52-bed emergency shelter, transitional housing, crisis hotline and youth programs.

“Last year’s event raised $16,000 in two hours,” Bordsen said. “This year we hope to do $20,000.”

That’s right: two hours. All while lunch is served.

This is the fifth year for the handbag gala where women line up before the doors open. It was moved from Everett Golf &Country Club to Comcast Events Center this year to meet the demand for more seats. Reservations for the $25 lunch can be made through Tuesday.

The purses are sold by silent and live auctions. The live auction of mainly designer bags start at $75. Silent auction purses start at lower prices.

Bags are many shapes, styles and colors, with fringe, chains and straps wide and thin. There are wallet, clutches and evening bags.

Brands include Coach, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Dooney &Bourke and Michi.

“Many are brand new,” Bordsen said. “People collect for us year round.”

Some bags come from far away.

“I had a friend who was in Italy and brought us back a purse,” Bordsen said. “Two years ago, someone was in Nepal and brought back a purse that women there make so they can make a living wage.”

Donations are still being accepted for the auction. Purses must be new or gently used.

Some bidders will walk away with centerpiece handbags filled with fun items with a wine, travel or other theme.

Whether it’s a billfold or supersized satchel, there’s plenty of handbag happiness to go around.

“Last year a woman who got a Louis Vuitton did a victory dance,” Bordsen said.

Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com

Grab a bag and help

Handbag Auction &Luncheon to benefit Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County is June 12 at Comcast Events Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for three silent auctions, plus an evening bag and wallet section and “Almost Live” handbags.

Lunch and live auction of new handbags and centerpieces begins at noon.

For reservations and donations, call Stephanie Civey at 425-259-2827, extension 1013. For more information: www.dvs-snoco.org.

Domestic violence safety tips

Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, www.dvs-snoco.org/index, is a non-profit organization serving Snohomish County since 1976. It provides emergency shelter and comprehensive, confidential services to all victims of domestic abuse. It also organizes community awareness programs.

The agency offers these tips if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence:

  • Plan ahead: Develop a plan with your children. Arrange to have a place to go. Make copies of important papers and hide them. Have important phone numbers available. Pack and hide an overnight bag. Put aside money, spare keys and other needed items.
  • During an incident: Call 911 for help. Get out if you can. Avoid rooms with only one exit. Avoid the kitchen.
  • When out of an abusive situation, if you stay in your home: Change the lock, secure doors and windows. Arrange to have someone stay with you. Change your phone number. Obtain a protection order. Notify trusted friends and family.
  • At work, school and public places: Inform your work, day care and schools. Change your daily routine. Plan ahead for unexpected contact with the abuser.
  • The Domestic Violence 24-hour hotline is 425-252-2873. Collect calls accepted. Help is free and all calls are confidential.

Source: Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.