Hilary Newsom, the sister of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, has been making her own mark in the business world as vice president and partner of the PlumpJack Group and heading up PlumpJack Sport. As a San Francisco native, and rising force in retail business, she's been profiled in Women's Wear Daily, 7x7 magazine, and San Francisco MODA. In recent years, she's grown passionate about This Old Bag, a fundraising effort for the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund. Hilary has two young daughters, and her husband, Geoff Callan, is an actor and film producer in San Francisco. We spoke with her in the back dining area of the PlumpJack Cafe on Fillmore Street.

BELLINGHAM: How did you get involved with this project, called This Old Bag?
HILARY: I got involved because my mother died five years ago from breast cancer. So I put it out there in the universe that it would be my cause, to work as hard as I can, for as long as I can, to help eradicate breast cancer. [It was] through the Northern California Cancer Center … they asked if I’d like to get involved with This Old Bag, and I said yeah. This is will be my third year.

BELLINGHAM: How have things changed in three years?
HILARY: It's dramatic how it has grown. We had to change venues to the W Hotel – it had gown out of the old venue. That's a testament to its success. Do you know what I love about it? San Francisco (and our community) is so innovative. What a great way to get people interested in an important cause and for them to donate money. It's fabulous. I mean, who doesn't like purses? We're all there, fighting over purses, and in the end, we all get something for giving something. It's really perfect.

BELLINGHAM: How do all of these various cancer advocacy groups work together, if they work together at all? The Susan G. Komen Cancer people, and all that?
HILARY: My impression is they all have different highlights and emphasize various aspect of the efforts to defeat cancer. But what's great about this effort is that I, as a working mom, which is very fortunate, can help a woman, say, who might get her electricity shut off because she is sick. That's what makes a difference. I can’t cure cancer, but if I can help an individual who is in trouble, then I am making a difference.

BELLINGHAM: Some people may not know that being seriously ill is a full-time job …
HILARY: When my mom had cancer, and she had terrific insurance for her, but after insurance, she had to take $500 shots every week – that's after insurance. We were lucky because my mom had this insurance – but most people cannot afford it. Most people can survive cancer, but they need the treatment; it's not always available to them. Any support we can get for these people, it doesn't have to be big, just some kid of support really helps. … I have been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society since I was 17 when one of my aunts had cancer, but now I have a new obligation. It's for my two young children. It's possible that when they are my age, that cancer may not even be a topic. Yet now, more and more younger people are finding they have cancer. But we have to concentrate on early detection. As for people who have cancer, it is their job to survive, yes. It is their job to survive having cancer. Can you imagine?

BELLINGHAM: So an idea like this comes along, a little caprice, a little lightness, for such a heavy topic.
HILARY: That's what's so brilliant about it. The topic is really a terrifying thing if you give it a lot of thought. So, don't give it a lot of thought. Give it a lot of money. (Laughs) Let's give it a lot of money, let's find a cure, and let's support the people who need it – and let's get a few nice bags in the process.

BELLINGHAM: What will we expect to see at the event?
HILARY: You can expect to see hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous purses and bags, and you can just pick up a pencil and start frantically bidding. The goal is to have a good times, and to actually go home with something.
BELLINGHAM: And we'll see celebs …
HILARY: Always, but they are undisclosed names at this time …