Are you looking for an unexpected place to find boutique, designer, and costume jewelry? The Friends of the Acton Council on Aging (COA) will be holding their second annual jewelry sale on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.at the Senior Center.
Funds raised at the event will support the classes and programs at the Acton Senior Center, which is located at 30 Sudbury Road Rear. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Friends, most classes and programs are available to Acton senior citizens at no cost.
I interviewed Mary Westcott, a member of the board of the Friends of the Acton COA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit group. She is heading up the team of volunteers who are organizing this year’s fund-raising event.
Westcott, who has a background in jewelry appraisal, provided the backstory of the jewelry sale.
One of the group’s early fund-raising efforts was a holiday fair. And one of the most successful tables at the fair was the one for jewelry.
Although the holiday fair is no longer held, the Friends decided to hold a one-day sale of jewelry last year. The event raised $5,000.
“We were overwhelmed last year,” said Westcott.
“How could we not do it again?” she added.
But this year, Westcott asked for more help – and had no problem getting it from a team that included Susan Fenton, Susan Tripathy, and Deb Jeffries.
“We started in March and the response has been unbelievable,” Westcott told me.
The Friends of Acton COA appealed to people at the Senior Center to go through their jewelry boxes and find items that they don’t wear anymore. For example, they’ve lost the other earring, or their fingers have trouble with the clasp.
Westcott’s team has already collected more than 3,000 pieces of jewelry, and many of them are sterling silver.
“We fully expect this year’s event will be as successful as last year’s,” she told me.
I asked if there might be any treasures.
She laughed, “We’ve already looked for treasures, but there could be a few that we missed.”
Westcott admitted that there could be a line at the door at the Senior Center, waiting to get into the vintage jewelry sale on Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. But even if people don’t find any treasures, the funds will go to a worthy cause.
As for any items that aren’t sold, they will be given to the Acton Congregational Church, which has a thrift shop, the South Acton Congregational Church, or a non-profit group that re-purposes jewelry. So, one way or another, the community will benefit.
She concluded, “We’re just a group of seniors who are trying to do something for the Senior Center. And if we can keep stuff from being thrown away, then maybe we can do something for the environment – even if it’s in a small way.”
Greg Jarboe is the Council on Aging beat reporter for the Acton Exchange.