Our eighth annual Power of the Purse Event was held on Thursday, May 5th at Pear Tree Estate – and WOW, was it a night to remember! We raised a record total of $120,000 - and we could not have done it without the support of our generous sponsors, purse donors, and staff. To date, we have raised a total of $594,000 from Power of the Purse events!
This year, we had over 170 purses donated and 22 sponsors – we are beyond grateful for the continued support!
Northwestern Mutual was this year’s presenting sponsor, and for those of you who have attended POP since 2015, you know how committed and generous they have been.
As always, our generous host, Pear Tree Estate, truly encapsulated the beauty of the night and is always the perfect space to host nearly 400 women. Also, when you hear a room full of women go silent, you know it must be good food! We want to thank LA Catering for providing us with delicious food for the past eight years (somehow the food gets better each year!).
Power of the Purse has continued to provide women in our community with scholarships and donations. It is a true testimony of women uplifting other women. At the event, guests heard from Madisen, one of this year’s scholarship recipients. Her story was truly inspiring and the exact reason we do what we can to help our community.
The highlight of our night is always the live auction – this year’s live auction raised the most funds ever! Live auction items this year consisted of a Beach House, our Premiere Purse, Illini Taco Party Package, Party Bus experience, and a catered meal by Bob Rowe. We hope all our live auction winners enjoy their experiences this summer!
At this year’s event, our guests fell in love with the Diamond Raffle Brilliant Box, generously donated by Champaign Jewelers. Congratulations to our winner!
We want to thank our Women United group for leading Power of the Purse each year. Without their dedication and work within our community, POP would not be where it is at today!
Last, but certainly not least, we want to thank all of YOU for attending and support POP! You make the event what it is and we could not be more grateful. Save the date for May 4, 2023 - we hope to see you all at next year’s POP!
Contact Paula Santiago for purse donation and sponsorship details for 2023.
