(WATERTOWN, NY) – The Volunteer Transportation Center Foundation Inc. has announced its annual Posh Purse Palooza has been deemed a success, raising $12,000.
The nonprofit organization’s event – held May 8 at Garland City Beer Works, Watertown – raised money for the Volunteer Transportation Center to support the services it provides to the community.
“It was another great year for this event with such great participation,” said Jeremiah S. Papineau, the nonprofit organization’s Director of Communications and Foundation Director. “It was heartwarming to see us raise another amazing amount to help the VTC with the services it provides for the community.”
“It couldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors, donors and those who won purses at this year’s Posh Purse Palooza,” he added. “We’re extremely thankful because every dollar we raise helps people here in need of crucial transportation.”
Posh Purse Palooza, which started in 2015, has been held annually, with the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Papineau attributes the popularity of the event to the high quality donations of purses and items that are auctioned with each purse, giving bidders amazing value for their bids.
“What continues to make this event such a successful fundraiser,” he said, “is how we’ve paired the in-person auction with the convenience of bidding online. We began to offer this in 2021 when we first brought back Posh Purse Palooza and it ended up being convenient for those who wanted to bid from the comfort of their own home. It helps us reach even more people to help us raise even more to help more people in our community facing transportation challenges.”
The online auction component initially consisted of 10 purses available for bids prior to the in-person auction. An additional 15 purses were up for bids the night of the event at Garland City Beer Works and, at that point, all 25 were able to be bid on until the end of the evening. Additional purses were also raffled at the event.
In addition, Garland City Beer Works again offered a signature drink this year in the month leading up to the event, with proceeds from every cocktail going directly to the VTC Foundation. That effort raised $142. The business also offered a round up option during the month of April, allowing patrons to round their tabs up to the nearest dollar, to benefit VTC.
“The amazing folks at Garland City Beer Works area always so generous,” said Mr. Papineau. “We are incredibly thankful to them for their support and we’re thankful to all their customers.”
Posh Purse Palooza, which marked its 10th year, is a silent auction event that features new or gently-used purses filled with various items like gift certificates, jewelry, bottles of wine, scarves, cosmetics and more. Purses are donated by generous people in the community – either filled with items or without and then stuffed with donations from businesses and other individuals in the community.
Designers this year included Anne Klein, Coach, Doone & Bourke, Gucci, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and others. Guests at the event are able to place bids in the silent auction of the purses while mingling and enjoying food and drink from Garland City Beer Works.
This year’s Posh Purse Palooza was made possible by: Underwriters – Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Watertown Savings Bank, Stewart’s Shops, and Advanced Business Systems. Diamond Level Sponsors – North Star Health Alliance and Carthage Area Hospital; Platinum Level Sponsors – Black Horse Group, Knowlton Technologies, Overhead Door Company of Watertown, and Samaritan Medical Center; Gold Level Sponsors – Cam’s Pizzeria, Lake Ontario Realty – Audrey Colello, Northern Lights Chiropractic, Rudd’s Town & Country, and Ms. Rosina Vandewall; and Silver Level Sponsors – Carthage Savings and Loan and The Dockside Pub. Additional support was provided by United Way of Northern New York and Northern New York Community Foundation.
Purses and items for the purses were donated by the following: A.J. Missert, Antique Boat Museum, Arsenal Wines & Liquors , Bella-Brooke Vineyard & Winery, Bella’s, Black Tie Cocktail Syrups, Body Slender Laser Center, Build-A-Buddy on the River, Cabana Bay Tanning, Cape Vincent American Legion, Cape Vincent Liquor Store, Clayton Country Club, Clayton Distillery, Clayton Wine & Spirits, Comfort Inn & Suites , Coyote Moon Vineyards , Croghan Meat Market, Eagle Beverage Company, Edible Arrangements, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Five Corners Greenhouse, Garland City Beer Works, Harmony Soap Cottage, Highland Meadows Golf and Country Club, Hilda’s the Next Generation , Independent Commercial Contractors Inc., Independent Mary Kay Consultant Kerrie Baker, Independent Medical Evaluation Company, Intrepid Broadcasting/Tunes 92.5, Jefferson County Historical Society, Kay Jewelers, Longhorn Steakhouse, Mac’s Hair Extrodinaire, Magical Vacation Planner Tina Lanier, Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, Northern Flow Vineyards, O.D. Greene Lumber & Hardware, Olive Garden, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Plaza Beauty & Tanning Salons, River Golf Adventures, River Yoga, Saint Lawrence Spirits Distillery & Chateau, Sherwin-Williams, Silver Bench Jewelry, Soul Revival Day Spa, State Street Ace Hardware, Strut Boutique, Sweet on Chocolate, The 1000 Islands Cruet, The Cape Winery, The Church Street Diner, The Clipper Inn, The Fringe Hair Studio & Day Spa, The Hops Spot Watertown, The Whimsical Pig, Thousand Islands Winery, Tinsle Beauty, Tug Hill Artisan Roasters, Tug Hill Estate, Uncle Sam Boat Tours, Watertown Daily Times/NNY360, Watertown Family YMCA, Willowbrook Golf Club, Wood Boat Brewery, Zoo New York, Donna Barnhart, Blaine Campany, Barb DeYear, Bob Doud, Diane Doud, Jeanne Fuller, Trisha Lapell, Nadine Logan, Amy McEathron, Kathryn Murray, Jeremiah Papineau, Darcy Peterson, Sam Purington, Meagan Reynolds, Kathy Taber-Montgomery, and Caree Turck.
The VTC Foundation would like to thank WWNY’s Beth Hall for emceeing the event. In addition, the organization thanks Garland City Beer Works for hosting, The Bottle of Sackets Harbor for donation of wine for a wine pull at the event, Tinsle Beauty for donating a portion of its sales from the event, and Snapshots Photo Booth for the donation of a photo to use at the event. In addition, the VTC Foundation thanks the Posh Purse Palooza Committee, consisting of Blaine Campany, Jeany Colello, Laurie Gleason, Taylour Leone, Amy McEathron, Joelle Meade, Kathy Taber-Montgomery, Kathryn Murray, Lorna Oppedisano, Makenzie Piatt, Ruth Soules, and Mr. Papineau.
The date for next year’s Posh Purse Palooza is already set for Thursday, May 7, again before Mother’s Day. Donations are already being collected for the event. For more information, contact Mr. Papineau at 315-303-2590, or via email at jeremiah@volunteertransportation.org.
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION CENTER
The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC), established in 1991, drives thousands of miles each year assisting community members in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties and beyond. Over the last 30 years, this essential non-profit organization has provided rides to health care appointments, food sources and other critical needs destinations for residents.
In 2024, volunteer drivers provided 25,478 charitable trips over 876,509 miles in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties. Of those miles, 318,320 helped those in Jefferson County, 112,852 in Lewis County, and 445,337 in St. Lawrence County. That equated to approximately $438,255 in mileage reimbursement for our volunteers. That’s why the community’s help is so important.
The staff, boards of directors and volunteer drivers look forward to a time when transportation to community activities and services is accessible to all North Country residents regardless of economic or specialized needs. But for now the mission drives on — striving to provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs destinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation.
For more information about how you can help the Volunteer Transportation Center, about its up-coming events, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the agency in Jefferson and Lewis Counties at 315-788-0422, in St. Lawrence County at 315-714-2034, or Western New York at 585-250-5030. Volunteers drive their own cars, set their own hours and receive mileage reimbursement but, more importantly, make a difference in the community. To learn more, visit www.volunteertransportationcenter.org.