By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The power of the purse is a mighty thing and that power will be used to its fullest extent next week.
Nancy McMurray, who serves as the Executive Director to the Crawford County Chapters of the American Red Cross, has once again prepared a night of fun for the third annual Power of the Purse event.
This event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the local American Red Cross and it has grown every year. McMurray said in its first inception, the Power of the Purse brought in $9,000 while last year it netted $11,000. McMurray hopes to at least reach that goal this year.
“We’re a non-profit agency,” McMurray explained, “we’re not subsidized in any way by any government agency whatsoever, so we rely completely on the donations of the public and, of course, our local community.”
When McMurray first took the helm of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, she reached out to other chapters to brainstorm ideas for fundraisers. A counterpart in the Muskingum County area suggested an idea she recently implemented to great success: the Power of the Purse.
Other chapters in the region have also hosted Power of the Purse events.
Brand new and gently used purses have been donated for the event. The new purses will be auctioned off through live and silent auctions throughout the night by Craig Miley. Over 40 purses will be in the live auction with an additional 30 purses being auctioned off in the silent auction. The gently used purses can be bought at Bag Lady Boulevard, a section that will be set up like a store during the event.
“You kind of come in, peruse everything, get your program,” said McMurray. “You get a chance to come in, look it over, look over the silent auction items.”
“Our board members are the models for the purses—our male board members,” McMurray said with a big grin. “A couple of them have developed quite the reputation. The ladies look forward to it, seeing them bring the purses around.”
McMurray said the models really play it up and get the crowd involved.
The prizes won’t only be geared toward the ladies, either. McMurray said they will also be auctioning off other items like auto detailing and a barbeque silent auction item.
The Bucyrus Community Hospital will be catering the event. McMurray said it will be a full course meal, which is included in the price of the ticket.
The Power of the Purse will be held at the Youth Building at the Crawford County fairgrounds on April 10. Doors open for the event at 5:30, dinner will be served at 6:00, and the auction will begin at 6:30.
The cost of a ticket is $50. Anyone wishing to purchase a ticket can call McMurray at 419-689-9528.
Money from the fundraiser goes to support people who have been affected by a tragedy or a disaster.
“This money goes towards that, it goes towards our blood drives, the food we provide at the blood drives, class materials for health and safety classes, those kinds of things,” explained McMurray. “All of this money stays in Crawford County. We raise it in Crawford County; it stays in Crawford County to support what we do.
McMurray said that over the past year, the chapter served 74 individuals within the county.
“This is an opportunity to have a good time, go with your girlfriends,” said McMurray. “It reminds people what we do, what the Red Cross is, and the importance of it in our community. You get to feel good about the donations that you’re making and you’re going to get to have a great time. I just think that’s a great fundraiser.
“Everybody leaves with a smile on their face and I feel really good about that. Then when we are covering the next disaster—whatever it might be—you say ‘I know I helped in some way to support that mission’ when they see what comes our way in the county.”