We’re thrilled to hear that this year The Family Place raised $1 million for victims of domestic violence through the annual Partners Card Program. This is a new milestone for them and they deserve t0 celebrate — countless lives will be improved by the money brought in by Partners Card. The Saxton Group was a 2010 Sponsor of The Partners Card program. Additionally, all DFW area McAlister’s Deli and Pinkberry locations honored the 20% discount for Partners Card holders.
Here’s the Dallas Morning News Story:
One of Dallas richest women once told me: “Honey, any fool can pay full price!”That mentality permeates our Big D culture.Eighteen years ago, Paige Flink, executive director of the Family Place, decided that she could create a dandy fundraiser if she could combine Dallas world-class shopping with its world-class bargain hunters.It worked.This years just-completed Partners Card promotion broke the million-dollar mark for the first time.And that money was raised the hard way. Most of it – $905,100 – came one $60 Partners Card at a time. The remainder was from sponsors such as Bank of Texas.”I knew it would happen; I just didnt know when,” Flink says of the milestone. “We have such great shopping in Dallas, Texas, and such great shoppers.”The Partners Card, in case you havent heard, is good for 20 percent off at some of the glitziest, trendiest and just downright necessary stores in North Texas.The more you buy during the 10-day extravaganza, the more you save – or so we tell ourselves.This year, more than 775 retail stores and restaurants joined in the festivities, including Gucci, Maggianos, St. Bernard Sports, All Vac and the Container Store.Every dollar from the sale of 15,085 cards went to the Family Place, Dallas largest family violence agency.”People were ready and strategic,” Flink says. “They planned out what they were going to do to take real advantage of the discount. I have had a lot of positive feedback from the retailers about how much more business they did this year compared to last year. Shoppers seemed ready to spend money.”Guy factorPartners Card has become an anticipated event at my household, where even my shopping-averse husband gets into the spending mode.This year, he bought two pairs of Asics at Lukes Locker in less than 15 minutes. Hed been asking me for a month: “Now when is that shopping thing?”Sure, he waited for the sale. But he bought an extra pair because of the deal.The “guy factor” was key to this years success, says Flink, who instigated the program in 1993 when she got 175 retailers and restaurants to sign on.”Fine mens shoes just dont go on sale. My husband bought two pairs, not just one,” she says. “Men get into the spirit when they see big-ticket items like sound systems, leather furniture and watches.”The Partners Card shopping event is always from the last Friday in October through the first Sunday in November. Retailers like the timing because it gives a boost to the pre-holiday lull.You have to spend $300 to “pay” for your card. Some people fall short, but many others spend much more.”Hopefully well continue to grow in the areas north of LBJ,” Flink says. “Were starting to get more volume in places like Southlake, Plano, McKinney and Frisco. Somebody gets a card and realizes how cool it is. Then she tells a friend. Its a neighbor-to-neighbor thing.”The official tally for 2010 was $1,003,080, up from $898,000 last year.Gem of an ideaJoanne and Charles Teichman, who own Ylang 23 in the Galleria, are longtime supporters of the Family Place. The store is also the leading seller in the U.S. of Cathy Waterman jewelry, which sells for as much as $140,000 per piece.For the last eight years, in addition to selling the cards, the Teichmans have put on a Waterman trunk show. Partners Card customers get 10 percent off designer pieces that never go on sale otherwise, and some people fly in from around the country for the event.The Teichmans then donate 10 percent of the Waterman sales to the Family Place, the only Partners Card retailer to share a portion of actual sales.”We sold a record number of cards, and we had a record Cathy Waterman trunk show” this year, Joanne says. “We cut a big ol five-figure check to Paige and the Family Place.”
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