Every few years, Joan Douillard goes through her collection of quality purses, picking out the ones whose time has come to find a new shoulder to lean on.
When Douillard sells her purses, she uses the proceeds to help support local charities. As she got to organizing her purses this year, the perfect opportunity lined up with it.
“We were supposed to be in the Bowl for Kids Sake on Sunday and they had to cancel," said Douillard’s daughter Jazmyn Lyons.
The mother-daughter duo co-owns The Realm of Toys 7 The Nerd Room in Williams Lake, and they signed up to compete in the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ (BBBS) annual fundraiser this year which begins Friday, April 11 and was scheduled to wrap up on Sunday. Without enough teams signing up to compete however, BBBS had to cancel Sunday’s event, and the Realm of Toys team was unable to make it any other time.
“I know how much money the Big Brothers Big Sisters makes through this program, so to lose a day of it I imagine is going to be quite a hit,” Lyons said.
As the Realm of Toys crew won’t be able to attend the event this year, Douillard decided she would auction off her purses and donate all the funds to BBBS.
“We just want to make sure their services aren't hindered because of a loss of funds,” Lyons said.
The auction kicked off Thursday night and bids will be accepted until Wednesday, April 16 at 5 p.m. To submit your bid, head to the Realm of Toys Facebook page and comment your offer directly on the purse’s photo.
Starting bids range from $5 to $50, with a set price also given for anyone who just can’t wait and wants to buy the purse right away. There are 18 purses, some brand new, with two originally valued at $250 and $300.
“She’s a magpie when it comes to purses,” Lyons said of her mother and her “giant stack of purses.”
Kaitlyn Saunders, executive director of the BBBS in Williams Lake, said shortening the event was a difficult decision but had to be done.
“We appreciate all of the bowlers coming out this weekend and sponsors for making this event possible,” Saunders wrote to the Tribune. “The Bowl for Kids’ Sake is a major fundraiser for Big Brother Big Sisters of Williams Lake that helps us continue to bring our programs to our schools and community.”
If you would like to donate to the BBBS, call their office at (250) 398-8391 or navigate to the BBBS donation webpage.
