Buckley’s Ida Marge Guild took in more than $6,500 for Tacoma’s Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital at their spring Country Store Bazaar last weekend, the most they’ve taken in for the spring fundraiser.
The sale featured plants and gardening tools, Mother’s Day gifts and the usual knick-knacks and oddities of a garage sale.
Around $3,000 came in from folks rummaging around for goods at Buckley Hall, and nearly the same amount was raised again on a raffle for a five-foot barnwood potting bench loaded with gardening items. The silent auction, which was a new addition this year, raised nearly $700, said LuAnne Hedges, secretary of the Ida Marge Guild.
The $6,500 figure is just an early estimate and the guild expects it to grow as they keep tallying the money raised, Hedges said.
“Although our members are totally worn out at the end of the sale and cleanup, we love Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and we will continue doing these fundraisers for the next 66 years,” Hedges wrote in an email.
The Ida Marge Guild of Buckley, formed more than 60 years ago, raises money each November and May to support Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. About 40 guilds throughout Western Washington raise funds for the hospital through bazaars and other fundraisers.
Buckley’s guild started as a branch of the Tacoma Orthopedic Association, a group of guilds in the early 20th century who helped take kids to Seattle Children’s Hospital. TOA members established Mary Bridge in 1955, and recently renamed themselves the Mary Bridge Brigade.
The Ida Marge Guild – part of the Mary Bridge Brigade – includes around 45 members from across Buckley, Enumclaw, Bonney Lake and other local areas, Hedges said.
Those interested in joining the guild can contact Hedges at
