MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Manistique Women’s Club has donated $7,100 to the Mariucci Family Beacon House, raised through its “Purses with a Purpose” auction held earlier this month.
The donation was presented Tuesday as a show of gratitude for the support Beacon House provides to families across the Upper Peninsula. Organizers said the idea for the fundraiser came from a personal experience of one club member, whose husband stayed at the Beacon House for three weeks last summer.
“Her husband had a three-week stay here last summer, and it was such a heartwarming experience for her and her family that she wanted to do something to give back,” said Julie Barr, a committee member for the event. “The Beacon House has served over 500 families from Schoolcraft County over the last handful of years, and that’s really important because their service reaches way beyond Marquette County — it reaches across the Upper Peninsula.”
Beacon House leadership said the contribution reflects the vital role local organizations play in keeping the hospitality house running.
“How fortunate we are to have organizations like the Manistique Women’s Club to choose to support the Beacon House through their fundraiser,” said Dale Moilanen, board president of the Mariucci Family Beacon House. “If we didn’t have organizations that did that, we wouldn’t be here and be able to serve people in their time of need.”
The Manistique Women’s Club says it plans to hold the Purses with a Purpose auction again in the future to support other local causes.
