Kait’s Angels’ annual fundraiser returns

Later this week, some lucky winner could walk out of Peconic Bay Vineyards with a free $2,650 Louis Vuitton handbag — and do their part to support a good cause.

Kait’s Angels will host its annual Designer Handbag Wingo fundraiser Aug. 4 at the Cutchogue winery. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the games begin at 6:30 p.m.

The seventh incarnation of the fundraiser will boast raffles, bingo games, drinks, food and entertainment. 

“There’s going to be a great selection of wine available,” said Lisa Garcia, a Kait’s Angels board member. “They’re going to have food trucks on site … We’re going to have two guest singers. It’s a beautiful event.”

Founded in memory of Kaitlyn Doorhy, who died after being struck by a car in 2014, the nonprofit has helped scores of North Fork and Shelter Island residents. When asked about its mission and what inspires the board to carry it out, Darla Doorhy, Kaitlyn’s mother, often cites a phrase she attributes to her daughter: “God gave you two hands, one to do for yourself and one to do for others.” She said the annual affair is Kait’s Angel’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Although the name “wingo” may come across as a portmanteau combining “win” and “bingo,” its origin is not so much wordplay as child’s play. Ms. Doorhy said it came from one of Kait’s kindergarten classmates who mispronounced “bingo” as “wingo.”

“It’s called ‘handbag wingo’ but there are so many other gifts for the raffles ­— and the games themselves,” Ms. Garcia said. “There’s many more raffle baskets, with anything from home items to a weekend away … jewelry, stores will donate from all over the North Fork.

Six rounds of bingo provide attendees a chance to take home one of six designer handbags. The most luxurious tote this year — winnable through a grand prize raffle — is the Louis Vuitton with a retail value of $2,650, donated by Charlotte Smilovich’s Cohen’s Fashion Optical of Riverhead. The winner also takes home four bottles of wine from Peconic Bay Vineyards and a floral arrangement courtesy of Mattituck Florist.

“Without our sponsors we wouldn’t be able to do any of this,” Ms. Doorhy said. “And Stacey Soloviev, she owns Peconic Bay Vineyards, she donates [time at] the vineyard to us.”

While she would not say specifically how proceeds from this year’s wingo will be distributed, Ms. Doorhy said she expects to donate funds to support 10 local families.

“We give it all out,” she said. “Whatever is raised, we give it all back to the community.”

Tickets for Designer Handbag Wingo are available for $35 at Love Lane Sweet Shoppe in Mattituck, Cohen’s Fashion Optical in Riverhead or online through kaitsangels.org. Admission includes six bingo games, with a cash bar and food trucks available. Day-of admission is $55.

Ms. Doorhy said the organization is also preparing for its annual yard sale, which will take place at the Doorhy home, 1125 Ole Jule Lane in Mattituck, Saturday, Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. to 1p.m. Anyone interested in donating items for sale may drop them off at the Doorhy home Friday, Sept. 8, between 4 and 6 p.m.