Charities Ring Up Donations With Store’s Promotion

A woman from the Glendale Assistance League stood in front of the Broadway store at the Glendale Galleria the other evening, making her pitch while shoppers whizzed by.

Most of the harried patrons barely glanced at what she was handing out--a newspaper supplement that heralded a gala to celebrate the Broadway’s remodeling. “It’s hard to get people to stop and listen,” league member Mary Ann Fell said in a moment of frustration.

The next night, a quartet from the Society for the Prevention and Enhancement of Barbershop Quartets were in the same spot, doing what they do best--singing “You’re the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline.” During the past few weeks, representatives of Blair High School in Pasadena, the Glendale Regional Arts Council, La Crescenta Babe Ruth Baseball, the Burbank Council of PTA and the Pasadena YWCA Rape Crisis Center took turns outside the store, all trying to attract shoppers.

They were hawking the same thing: tickets to a charity shopping day, a festive event that department stores occasionally sponsor to combine a promotion with a fund-raising opportunity for charity organizations.

Tickets are $5 and, if the charity groups are successful, 15,000 will be sold for the event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. next Wednesday at the Broadway in Glendale.

Ticket buyers will receive exclusive access to the store, a booklet stuffed with discount vouchers, a chance to win a $2,500 shopping spree and free food, including muffins, pasta, strawberries, ice cream and coffee.

“I usually buy a lot of my Christmas gifts here,” said Susan Burnett of Glendale, whose $5 donation went to the Assistance League of Glendale. “I’m off work on Wednesday, so I’ll be here the whole day shopping. I can’t wait.”

About 100 local charities--representing hospitals, schools, service groups, professional associations and religious organizations-- are selling tickets to the event. The participating charities keep the $5 donations, and the Broadway publicizes to customers that its four-month remodeling project is complete.

“It gives us the opportunity to show ourselves off to a large number of people,” said Leonard Benson, divisional vice president and general manager of the Glendale Broadway. “It kicks off the holiday season for us and gets everybody in the shopping mood.”

The organizations are taking turns selling tickets at a booth outside the second floor mall entrance to the store. The booth is open from 7 to 9 p.m. weeknights, and from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends. Tickets also will be available at the door on the day of the event.

Although Fell only sold seven tickets on the night she worked at the ticket booth, she has peddled many more to members of the Glendale Assistance League. “My group loved the idea,” Fell said. “All their friends are going to be there, and it’s just going to be a really fun day to shop.”

Some simply wanted to give back. Rose Radogna said her mother gets meals through an Assistance League senior citizens program, so she felt compelled to buy a ticket from Fell. “They help my mother, so I decided to help them,” Radogna said. “And I can help myself with the discounts. I can sure use them, especially with the holidays coming.”

Some charities are having more success than others at selling tickets.

Donna Brown, a board member of the Pasadena chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, said ticket sales haven’t been going well.

“I’m usually a very good salesperson,” said Brown, who has sold about 50 tickets. “But it is hard economic times, and people just don’t seem to want to go out and spend money. We thought we would do exceptionally well, but it hasn’t turned out that way--at least not yet.”

On the other hand, Build Rehabilitation Industries, which trains mentally and physically handicapped people to work in the community, has sold more than 1,000 tickets. “Our goal is to sell more tickets than any other organization,” said Isabel Boniface, projects director for the group, which has offices in San Fernando and Burbank.

Fell, whose entire organization has sold 50 tickets, spent most of the evening giving people directions to the restroom and the pay phone. Still, she was upbeat.

“All of the charities in town are benefiting from this,” she said. “The Broadway gets great P.R., the charities raise money and the community has a good time. Everybody wins.”