Octrober 31, 2017 - On Thursday, October 19th more than 500 friends of Panola College gathered at the Carthage Civic Center to play bingo for a chance to win designer purses and other prizes. The fundraising event, hosted by the Panola College Foundation, was a complete sellout for the third time. Designer Purse Bingo raised more than $42,000 to support scholarships, faculty grants and other college projects.
Two bonus games were available for guests to purchase. The grand finale bonus game, sponsored by Premium Graphics and Design of Timpson, TX was also available for guests to purchase. The grand prize for the game was a Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote valued at $1,260. There was also a bonus game played during intermission for a shopping spree worth $1,000, sponsored by Jolee & R.H. Ritter.
Joshua Carter of Carthage kept the crowd laughing and entertained all evening long as emcee for the occasion.
Guests also enjoyed a photo booth which printed souvenir photos from their evening, sponsored by First State Bank & Trust Company of Carthage.
Pippen Motor Company sponsored the Koozies for the evening. Game sponsors included Carthage Furniture, City of Carthage, Children’s Dental Center of Center, TX, Citizens Bank, LimeLight by Alcone with Brandie Best, Worthington Plumbing & A/C, General Shelters, Hayli Cagle with Keller Williams, Kelly’s Collision Center, Sanford & Sons, Inc., Simply Beautiful Salon, and Texas Home Health.
Dazzle sponsors were Ace Hardware, The Balcony, Genpak, Panola National Bank, Rural Water Service, Shelby Savings Bank, and Smith Energy Services.
Bingo game purses included 24 different purses including brands such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Frye, Brahmin, and Coach. A ring raffle also garnered prizes that consisted of over $500 worth of gift cards to dine around East Texas, A Vera Bradley purse donated by Chicken Row Market, a decorative sign donated by Dazzle’s Collectibles, a gift basket donated by Dillard’s in Longview, and a gift basket full of beauty products from Rachel Davis at Simply Beautiful Salon.
Panola College Occupational Therapy Assistant students are always instrumental in assisting with the event. Additional support for Designer Purse Bingo came from Brookshire Brothers, Photography by Teresa Cage Beasley, and Whataburger.
“The Designer Purse Bingo is such a fun event and has been a great fundraiser for the Panola College Foundation,” said Jessica Pace, Director of Institutional Advancement at Panola College. “We appreciate the support shown to Panola College from all the counties we service.”
Sponsors are already claiming their spots for the fourth Designer Purse Bingo in Carthage. Pace recommends that bingo players do the same and mark their calendar for Friday, March 23rd and watch for ticket sales to open in January.
