Open Your Purse, Opens Hearts.

How often do you see a well built man in his underwear lay down his purse, ever so gently, and hit the floor for a vigorous set of clap pushups? Nearly two hundred women and a scattering of somewhat squirmy men were in on the treat at the YWCA of Calgary’s first annual Open Your Purse event at Hotel Arts on November 20^th.

The night’s theme may have been James Bond, but the mood was pure Chippendales as male models, sporting graphic boxer briefs from She Apparel, sexed up the runway while showing off the fourteen purses donated by celebrities for the evening’s main event – the silent auction.

In the words of one of these brave boys, the role reversal was “kind of freaky, but for a good cause.”

The audience of cheering, ‘Bond Girl Crantini’ swilling, well-heeled ladies went wild when one Adonis tucked a bejeweled, white leather wallet into the waistband of his Björn Borgs. Tragically, “the one meter rule with the models” that host Zack Hewitt, from Energy 101.5 FM, had teased us earlier with was still in effect.

His lovely partner from CTV, Pearl Tsang, kept the witty fun going in support of the cause – “helping women and children who are in crisis, who are escaping domestic violence.” After the show, to illustrate the need, they asked many of us to put down our Crantinis and stand up. The random sampling represented the one in five people who are currently in an abusive relationship in Calgary. With the recession giving rise to increased alcohol consumption, those numbers keep rising.

Silvana Saccomani, YWCA’s Associate Director of Communications, gave a short presentation with more shocking statistics from the organization that is “the last resort for Calgary women, children, and men.” “We serve 12 000 of them every year,” she told the quieted crowd, “4000 are children.” She implored us for our help because, “for every woman, child, man that we help, we turn one away.”

As hard as these grim facts were to hear in a boudoir-lit room with elegant, cloth wrapped tables topped with pale pink crystals and adorable change-purse centerpieces spilling over with golden, chocolaty doubloons, they reminded us why the evening’s auction was so important.

“A lot of celebrities were really, really open to the cause,” explained Tricia Kindelman, Energy’s vivacious promotions coordinator, during a short interview before the delicious Asian inspired hor d’oeuvres. “Once they realized it was for the YWCA they totally wanted to get involved.” The radio station has always maintained a strong relationship with the organization, going so far as to permanently “take Chris Brown off our playlist” after the Rihanna incident last year. To “get the ball rolling” with the donations, Energy began contacting record labels and managers. Some of the celebrities, like Shannon Tweed, provided lightly used purses from “their own personal collections,” while others “went out and made a special purchase for the cause.”

Fergie, the lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas, donated one of her own designs for Kipling. With top brands such as Coach, D&G, LAMB, and Roger Vivier, and names like Kelly Clarkson, Elise Estrada, Jann Arden, and our very own Mayor Dave Bronconnier; the bidding sheets filled up quickly, bringing the night’s goal of $30 000 well within reach. Most of the purses were signed by their donors, and many included extra treats. It came as no surprise that the highest bid of the night, at $780, went to actress Elisha Cuthbert’s purse, which just so happened to include a pair of tickets to the Grey Cup Championship.

Chippendales and James Bond aside, the night was a celebration of female empowerment, the highlight being Silvana Saccomani’s presentation of the Power of the Purse award to Deann Mary – a woman who “had the willpower to leave an abusive relationship.” She went through the YWCA’s program of counseling and transitional housing with her two young children, overcoming obstacles and going “above and beyond” at every opportunity.

Some of her children’s artwork from that time was on display. Amidst one painting’s chaos of purple shapes and lines, one lone, deliberate, happy-face peeked out. Both children were on hand, their own faces now beaming with pride, to watch their mother accept the award. She looked radiant in a bubblegum pink knee-length sheath, a picture of the hope her family had clung to through it all. Her advice for other women in similar situations shows why fundraisers like Open Your Purse are so important: “just not to be afraid, I suppose, and to have that hope, because when we left we had absolutely nothing and (laughing) who would have thought that everything we could have possibly needed would come to us.”

Words by Cymbria Wood

Photos by Cymbria Wood