2021 STL Party with a Purpose and Holiday Gift Drive
The holidays are a time for giving, and supporters of Pink Ribbon Girls St. Louis did not disappoint this season.
That generosity was on full display at PRG’s inaugural Party with a Purpose event on Dec. 16 at The Schlafly Tap Room in St. Louis. Not only did the event attract a substantial turnout for its first year, but it also raised more than $15,000 to fund PRG’s services for local families battling breast and gynecological cancers.
“We were blown away by the support for our inaugural event,” St. Louis Regional Director Cory Smallwood said. “It was so great to see people take time during the busy holiday season to support our mission and our families.”
PARTY WITH A PURPOSE
Party with a Purpose was the brainchild of the St. Louis Associate Board comprising young professionals who have the passion and vision that is vital to PRG’s continued growth in our region. The event was the first of its kind for PRG, and it was designed by the associate board’s head member, Courtney Kennedy, to be a more casual, upbeat version of our annual Ignite the Fight gala held every fall.
More than 125 people attended Party with a Purpose and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, drinks and live music in the downtown venue featuring beautiful views of the city’s skyline. Clad in holiday attire and with drinks in hand, guests mingled over high-top tables or gathered on the dance floor, with a DJ there to keep the music flowing all night.
A silent auction was also held at the event. Attendees used their phones to bid on quality items such as Kendra Scott jewelry; baskets of beauty products; gift certificates to Sidney Street Cafe and Rockwell Beer Company; and sports memorabilia autographed by Cardinals stars Matt Carpenter and Ozzie Smith as well as Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues.
Lisa Fitzgerald – a St. Louis client who is now cancer-free – was the guest speaker. After having a double mastectomy in March, Lisa learned her fight would be longer than she initially expected with chemotherapy and radiation.
Lisa said PRG’s free healthy meals and virtual peer support meetings were vital in helping her get through such a difficult time.
“The virtual peer support meetings were my lifeline to others who could share in my fears and give me advice and hope,” Lisa said. “Treatments are exhausting. They wear you out mentally and physically, and the last thing you want to have to think about is cooking. Not having to worry about it and knowing I would have healthy meals was a godsend.”
“I’m thankful to now be out of active treatment and moving into survivorship cancer-free,” Lisa continued. “No one plans to get breast cancer, but I will be forever grateful I found my PRG family to help me through.”
HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE
In conjunction with the event, PRG staff and Advisory Board members Kelly Walbrandt and Linda Hunter organized a gift drive for 22 local families of clients battling Stage 4 cancer. More than 300 gifts were purchased and distributed by volunteers to homes across Missouri and Illinois. The presents were donated through online registries, created specifically for each family after gathering wishlists for every member in our adopted households.
Our clients were overwhelmed by the kindness, and here's what some of them had to say:
Kim S: "When I went for my fourth surgery, no one was there for me except the pink ladies. I am an orphan and really do not have anyone who is there for me. In my 30 years in the U.S., I have never received kindness from strangers except from the pink ladies. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. I cannot even express my sincerity in words."
Jamie B: "Oh my goodness, all the gifts were such a nice surprise and lovely. My girls and husband loved that they got something as well. Going through this has been difficult for them, so I love to see when they are remembered."
Ashley L: "Pink Ribbon Girls and yourself made our Christmas 2021 GLORIOUS! You have taken the worries, the woes and stress off my shoulders this holiday season. I am forever grateful – Christmas was going to be on a shoestring budget this year. … The gifts were stupendous. The kind women who dropped the gifts off filled our house with life, light and joy."
THANK YOU!
None of these holiday endeavors would have been possible without the incredible support that PRG is so fortunate to have in our St. Louis region.
Thank you to everyone who attended our first Party with a Purpose event and who donated or purchased items in our silent auction.
Thank you to everyone who purchased gifts for our adopted families or volunteered to wrap or deliver presents the week before Christmas. Special thanks to Kelly Walbrandt and Linda Hunter, who went above and beyond for these families in every possible way.
Thank you to our Party with a Purpose sponsors: Serra Honda of O’Fallon, Courtney Kennedy and Hologic, Dennis and Stephanie Weisenborn, Brandon Weisenborn with Edward Jones, Shared Medical Services, Amanda Diestelkamp with Shared Medical Services, and Crane Agency.
Thank you to all of the members of our St. Louis Associate Board: Courtney Kennedy, Kaitlyn McArthur, Amanda Diestelkamp, Chelsea Vogel, Alyssa Ruff, Anna Koch, Danielle Scherrer and Sarah Regan.
Thank you to our in-kind donors: AlphaLit for the marquee P-R-G letters that added the perfect pop of light to the room; Gus’ Pretzels for the tasty desserts; and to St. Louis Youth Jobs for the beer that our Associate Board fashioned into a beer tree for a highly coveted raffle prize.
And, of course, a big thank you to Schlafly's for donating beer and the beautiful space, and for hosting what will most certainly become a fixture to PRG St. Louis’ fundraising efforts for many years to come.