February 14, 2025

Purse Bingo Raises Over $20,000 for Mental Health & Addictions Care at St. Joe’s 

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, our largest crowd yet (over 550 attendees!) gathered at The Grand Olympia for Maria Dorego’s third annual Purse Bingo. Presented by Delta Bingo and Gaming, this third-party purse-themed event raised an impressive $20,000 to support the Mental Health and Addictions Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. 

Eleven lucky guests took home fabulous designer purses from brands like Gucci, Coach, and Michael Kors while all attendees also got to enjoy delicious bites and snacks, connect with exciting local vendors, and win more than 50 door prizes and raffle giveaways! It was truly a FUN-draiser to remember.  

A Cause that’s Close to the Heart 

Event organizer and cosmetology professor Maria Dorego understands all too well the profound impact mental illness can have. In 2017, a student she was mentoring died by suicide. Unaware of her student’s struggles, Maria was left with a deep sense of grief and sadness. Determined to turn her pain into purpose, she began studying suicide prevention and committed herself to supporting those in the community who may be facing similar challenges. 

Joining Maria in this mission is her friend, Greg Williams, a local realtor and the event’s Bingo Caller who has also experienced heartbreaking loss due to mental health struggles. Together, through Purse Bingo, they are raising awareness and funds for St. Joe’s, ensuring that those in need have access to the support and resources they deserve. 

Supporting Mental Health & Addictions Care at St. Joe’s 

As the regional lead and second largest provider of mental health and addictions care in all of Ontario, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is dedicated to reducing stigma, improving access to care, and supporting those living with a mental health or substance use concern.  

In 2022-23 alone, St. Joe’s facilitated over 169,800 mental health visits, and 3,610 visits to our psychiatric emergency service. The program and its staff work incredibly hard to help as many community members as possible, but the demand for mental health and addictions care has been growing for decades and outpacing the funding allocated to this area of healthcare. That’s why events like Purse Bingo are so important! Thanks to the generous support of our purse sponsors, booth vendors, donors and friends, and every person who attended Purse Bingo, we’ll be able to allocate these funds to making mental health care more accessible in our community. Thank you for helping us to provide the best care possible through St. Joe’s Mental Health and Addictions Program. We are grateful to be the beneficiary of this truly remarkable event. 

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Thank You to our Purse Bingo Sponsors 

Presenting Sponsor

Delta Bingo & Gaming

Grand Prize Purse Sponsor

Vasanti Cosmetics

Purse Sponsors

Budh Dhillion, Dhillion Accountax

Gorjan Riskowski, Shoppers Drug Mart Eastgate Square

Booth Vendors

Bouquentino Floral 

Greg Williams, Team Williams Real Estate 

Jouviance Canada 

Kelly Ferguson Readings 

Look Devine Beauty 

Lotus Aroma 

Love My Denim Bag 

Lynn Valley Products 

Puig Canada 

The Nail Boutique and Medical Foot Care 

Voila Balloomful — Balloon Decor 

You & Eye Optometry 

Raffle Prize Donors

Barber Town   

Bouquetino Florist  

Cosmoprof – Lily Diberardo 

Diletti’s Salon  

Eastgate Square Mall  

Fortinos Eastgate Square  

Foxy Box Laser and Wax Bar  

Golfi Concrete  

Hooked on Holistics  

Kadz Wax Beauty Bar  

Maria Dorego  

Puig Canada  

Pho Dau Bo  

Subway Eastgate Square  

Sunday Beauty Eyelash/Hair Extensions/Spray Tan  

Sunset Grill Eastgate Square  

Zen Vibezs