“Purse buyers offer boost to literacy center”

Purse buyers offer boost to literacy center

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 07:13 PM PST

Letty Cantu and her 16-year-old daughter, Karissa, were among the first in line Saturday morning outside the Brownsville Historic Museum for a chance to get some good buys at this year's Mega Purse Sale.

"We are hoping there are still some nice purses," Letty Cantu, 41, said, standing in a queue of more than two dozen patrons. "We are a mother and daughter team trying to do some Christmas shopping for ourselves."

Saturday was the second day of the second annual benefit organized by The Brownsville Herald and the Brownsville Literacy Center to raise funds for Brownsville literacy programs.

Colorful vintage, evening, designer and casual bags hung from dozens of coat hangers and were displayed across tables in a boutique-style showcase. No bag cost more than $75, but main they cost $10 to $20 — a holiday coup for high-end purses, which included designer labels such as Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Gucci and Kate Spade.

Dozens flocked to the museum on both days of the fundraiser. Shoppers corralled purses, pocketbooks and totes, six, five, 10 at a time, walking out with gifts for friends, family — or themselves — in large paper bags.

"I think it's fabulous," said Bertha Garza, 33, rummaging through the selection of purses, six bags already hanging from her arm. "It helps the community. It helps the literacy center. It helps our pockets."

Looking through totes nearby, Eva Salazar said she also came to support the cause.

"We came to help out with the literacy programs and buy purses that have good prices and make good presents," she said, also with handbags hanging from each arm.

Organizers worked hard to makes the sale all about purses for books. About 43 percent of adults in Cameron County do not have basic prose literacy skills, which means they cannot read material such as newspaper articles, editorials and brochures, according to the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning at Texas A&M University.

Reading-based programs at the Brownsville Literacy Center provide resources to adults and children in the community. Literacy-related programs offered by The Herald promote the use of newspapers as an educational tool in the classroom.

This year's sale was divided into two parts, a VIP night on Friday and the morning session on Saturday. Organizers said at noon Saturday they were pleased with the turnout. They said they hadn't had a chance to add up proceeds, all of which will go to the literacy center. The purses and tote bags were all donated.

Irma Vera, a retired banker, said she attended the sale this year after hearing all the buzz about last year's. She was not disappointed.

"It is very nice, a good turnout, a good selection and good prices," she said.

julloa@brownsvilleherald.com

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.