When Mary Koenig opened her house for her annual Pretty in Pink Jewelry Party on January 28, she had no idea the event would not only raise over $1,000 but also reach beyond Herons Glen and into the hearts of new and old friends.
Mary’s house backs up to the 14th tee box of Magnolia Landing golf course. Whenever carts pulled up that afternoon, partygoers would yell, “The bar is open!” and many golfers came in for an adult beverage. “We’d tell them we were doing a fundraiser for breast cancer,” says Mary, “at which point I made them the drink of their choice and they padded the Tip Jar.” But the most memorable part of the party was not the money raised. “One gentleman told us that his granddaughter was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma at age 4, and in July she would be five years cancer-free. He had us in tears. We had just lost a dear friend and neighbor two months earlier to that cancer.” Later that day, the man came back to Mary’s house to tell them he had talked to his wife and daughter, and they asked him to get a picture taken with the group at the party.
At the end of the day, Mary’s party raised $575 from the sales of elegant Silpada jewelry and $445 from the Tip Jar. But just as important as the lives that will be helped through that contribution to Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc., are the connections it made in the hearts of all who took part. Thank you to all who supported Pretty in Pink at the jewelry party!
