An update has been made to the story regarding the postponement of this event.
The Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center hosts its 11th annual Power of the Purse fundraising event on Friday, Sept. 11, at 6pm at the Texas A&M University Hotel and Conference Center.
Power of the Purse is an event where the community can come together to raise money for BVRC’s charitable programs through a live and silent auction of a variety of designer purses generously sponsored by businesses and people of the community.
Power of the Purse benefits both the center and the people who attend, but the auction is not quite like others. Instead of a simple bid, win, and go home with the prize process, there will be a catwalk with the event’s sponsors strutting their donated products on a runway, says Crystal Garcia-Williams, co-chair of Power of the Purse.
Winners of the auction will walk away proudly saying, “I got my bag from Power of the Purse,” but it also allows people to walk away from an event knowing they have instilled hope in the lives of patients BVRC helps every day.
“The event is for the community to come together to support the longest free-standing nonprofit [therapy provider] within the Brazos Valley,” says Williams.
This is what makes Power of the Purse worth attending, as it has ultimately been created to help support the community through the much-needed services the BVRC provides.
“We are grateful to our loyal participants and welcome newcomers every year,” says Williams.
Power of the Purse is for anyone, from families to businesses, to come together and participate in a philanthropic event that has helped many individuals and families.
The raffle item is a pair of gorgeous two-carat diamond earrings valued at $7,000, sponsored by Montelongo’s Fine Jewelry.
This year’s event title sponsor is Stylecraft Builders. Other event sponsors include Montelongo’s Fine Jewelry, Briaud Financial Advisors, the Bubba Moore Memorial Group, Superior Healthplan, Sue Ellen & Fred Davis with Davis and Davis Lawyers, Hawkwood Energy, C.E. Borman & Associates, and Commerce National Bank.
“The purse is the symbolic theme of the event; it is the figurative power of your purse, of your donation, that can change somebody’s life tomorrow,” says Alina Fifer, chief executive officer of Power of the Purse. “As a token of your generosity, you leave the event with a fantastic purse that you can talk about for years to come, as you get compliments in the [Brazos Valley] community.”
To participate in this event as a sponsor, visit www.brazostherapy.org or email Crystal Garcia-Williams at popbcstx@gmail.com. To buy tickets, visit www.brazostherapy.org and click on Power of the Purse 2020.
About the Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center The Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center is a comprehensive therapy facility open to patients of all ages and diagnoses. From patients as young as month-old babies to seniors, this large building has the energy and licensure to bring an unforgettable and comfortable experience to anyone in need of various types of therapy.
“It was a grassroot effort of bake sales and cattle sales, church fundraising and engaging your immediate friends and family members to get this service,” says Alina Fifer, chief executive officer of BVRC.
In the ’50s, two local families in the Brazos Valley had children who needed therapy services and drove to Austin and to Waco to get them. They looked around and engaged the community, church groups, and other leaders in discovering they were not the only ones who needed therapy services.
The families brought the first physical therapist to the community and started a local “society for crippled children,” says Fifer. “So, this is not a story of a chain or corporation that [was] opening an office in Bryan College Station, this is the community identifying a need and pursuing a solution for that need,” she continues. “It is our honor to carry the baton of now 63 years of service in the community, and we are really proud to be carrying that legacy.”
