‘Purses and Pearls’ event a big success
EDITOR:
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all who attended the inaugural Purses & Pearls luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Faith Promise Church in Clinton.
The event was organized honoring the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. A portion of the proceeds of the event and auction benefit Roane State Community College Foundation for Middle College students attending an Anderson County high school.
Please join me in thanking our presenting sponsor, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, and our centennial sponsors, 3M Company, Meadow View Senior Living, ORUD Natural Gas and PCUD Natural Gas.
Thanks also to the victory sponsors, Bristol Park Apartments of Oak Ridge, Paschal Solutions, Inc., and Southern Bank of Tennessee.
Our special thanks to the keynote speaker, Dr. Shirley Raines, speaker, consultant and author.
Thank you to everyone who donated items to the auction: Peggy Adcock, Clinch River Mercantile – Jane Holt, Tammy Gross, Hoskins Drug Store, Johnson & Co. General Store, Lindsey Wilson College, Mary Kay-Debbie Sellers, Rick Meredith, Methodist Medical Center Pink Placebo Gift Shop, Patricia Nash, Peters Jewelers, Stella & Dot — Emiley Rivers, and Dr. Shirley Raines.
A special thanks to those who donated door prizes for the event: Burrville Antiques, Hanna’s Inc., Knights Flowers, Mary Kay-Debbie Sellers, Conya Mull, Rustic Beauty, Samuel Franklin Florist, Titanic Museum Attraction, ToBro Bath Co., The Vintage Heifer and Cindy Whaley.
Favor box and goody bag items were provided by: Mary Kay-Debbie Sellers, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, ORUD Natural Gas, and PCUD Natural Gas. Thank you!
We sincerely appreciate Robbie DeJarnette, pastor of Faith Promise, for the use of their beautiful and spacious facility. Additionally, we thank Dustan Hollifield and Scott Kellison at Faith Promise for their assistance with audio-visual and lighting.
And, we would be remiss if we did not thank auctioneers Jason & Natalie Deel of JD’s Realty & Auction for the lively interaction with bidders online and in person of the Purses & Pearls auction.
Although COVID-19 limited attendance, an abundance of volunteers and committee members were needed. The success of this event can be attributed to these dedicated individuals. In addition to their support on the day of the event, the committee met for more than a year to plan and organize. A special thanks to chair and co-chair of the Purses & Pearls Committee, Tammy Gross and Maria Hooks, and committee members Peggy Adcock, Pam Forgety, Jessica Grooms, Robin Hunley, Grace Mead, Lisa Raines-Hopkins, Emily Rios, Debbie Sellers, Kim Webber, Cindy Whaley and Rebecca Williams.
Last but not least, I sincerely appreciate the chamber staff: Janet Hawkins, Jared Forgety, Jackie Patton and Marsha Stapleton. Their contribution was major. They spent many hours in the weeks prior to the event problem-solving, coordinating schedules and paying attention to last-minute details. Additionally, the chamber staff facilitated the auction, collected door prizes, recruited sponsors, managed logistics and incorporated COVID-19 precautions.
We hope we have not missed acknowledging anyone who helped make this event such a success. If so, we apologize and thank you!
The committee has already convened to begin planning next year’s event. We hope you can join us.
Rick Meredith, President
Anderson County Chamber of
Commerce
