Almost 550 attendees gathered at the Carthage Civic Center to support Panola College students.
March 27, 2019 - On Friday, March 22 almost 550 attendees gathered at the Carthage Civic Center to play bingo for a chance to win designer purses and other prizes all for a great cause. This was the 6th Designer Purse Bingo fundraising event, hosted by the Panola College Foundation, and they broke their record by raising over $53,000. All the proceeds from the evening go to support Panola College students through scholarships and program grants.
This event has helped to increase the amount of scholarships and grants the Foundation has been able to provide students at Panola College. “It is great to see the community come out to support students and have a good time,” said Jessica Pace, Director of Institutional Advancement at Panola College. “We see more scholarship applications each year from many deserving students and Designer Purse Bingo makes it possible to provide aid to more of these students.”
This Bingo Squad was dressed up for a fun and hoping lucky evening.
Don Clinton, Vice President of Student Services at Panola College, entertained the audience as the emcee for the fundraiser thanking our sponsors and calling out the anticipated bingo numbers all evening. All guests took home a tote bag provided by our generous sponsor, First State Bank and Trust Company of Carthage. Guests also enjoyed a photo booth which printed souvenir photos of their evening, sponsored by UT Health East Texas.
Pippen Motor Company and Rural Water Service sponsored koozies for the evening, and Kelly’s Auto Collision sponsored souvenir glasses for the guests. Back by popular demand was a signature drink available for purchase brought to guests by sponsor, Simply Beautiful Salon with Rachel Davis.
Returning for the 5th time as a Game sponsor, Carthage Furniture is a bingo supporter that never misses an event.
Panola National Bank and Tradition Senior Living sponsored the bonus games of the event, which allowed guests a chance to carry home a couture Louis Vuitton handbag.
Game sponsors included Carthage Economic Development, Carthage Furniture, Edward Jones with Vicky Hudson in Center, TX, Farmers State Bank, General Shelters, Genpak, Golden Eye Associates, Kimberly’s Kreations, LimeLife by Alcone with Brandie Best, Sanford & Sons, Inc., Texas Home Health, and Young Energy Services.
Panola College Baseball player shows guests one of the lovely purses available to win.
Double Dazzle sponsors included Hal’s AC & Electrical and the Winkler Place. Dazzle sponsors were Citizens Bank, Designs of All Kinds, Grubb Consultants, Inc., L&K Express Wash, Sabine Holdings, and Shelby Savings Bank.
Bingo game purses included 24 different purses including brands such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Coach, which were modelled with much enthusiasm by volunteers from the Panola College baseball team. A popular bling ring raffle, sponsored by Luminant, consisted of prizes of donations from Bear Creek Smokehouse, Card My Yard-Carthage, Kendra Scott, Schlitterbahn Waterparks, Texas Rangers, and the Panola College Foundation.
Tonya Cooke, Rachel Davis, and Jessica Dorsey wait in line for Panda Express at Designer Purse Bingo.
As always, this event would not be possible without all the amazing volunteers. Panola College Occupational Therapy Assistant students and instructors, and the Panola College baseball team were instrumental in keeping the event running smoothly. Additional support for Designer Purse Bingo came from Arnold Graphic Design, Brookshire Brothers, Panda Express, Kountry Fresh Pizza, Panola College faculty and staff, Photography by Teresa Cage Beasley, R&K Distributors, Republic National, and Whataburger.
Pace recommends marking your calendars for the 7th Designer Purse Bingo ticket sales to open on January 15, 2020.
Winners of the evening posed for photos to celebrate their prizes.
