Power of the Purse Raises Over $31,000 for Literacy Program

On June 8, 2021, United Way of Steele County’s Women United held the Seventh Annual “Power of the Purse” Event which supports the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Thanks to the generosity of over 100 attendees, over $31,000 was raised, supporting this beloved local program which encourages children’s literacy and enthusiasm for reading. Over 1,000 local children are currently mailed a book every month from their time of registration until their 5th birthday.

This year’s fundraiser was co-chaired by Women United members Alyson Bowman, Samantha Hartman, and Karen Duncan – with additional support from the Power of the Purse Committee, Women United members, as well as many local businesses and individuals in the community.

There were approximately 50 purses donated to the event and even more items that were donated from local businesses and giving individuals which were utilized to create well over 80 silent auction items.  There were also featured items that were presented for preview in advance of the event as well as the opportunity to donate directly to the program.

With this year’s event being entirely virtual, a video presentation was made available for attendees to watch at 6:00PM on June 8.  Special thanks to community members, Jess McCoy and Jason Kerr, for developing and producing the video presentation.  We would also like to thank our event Co-Chairs and the Power of the Purse Committee for putting together such a spectacular event, and thank you so much to all our event donors. Thanks to all of you, we eclipsed this year’s event goal.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program that mails a book a month to all children that are enrolled in Steele County, ages birth to 5.  The Dollywood Foundation covers the cost of the books, and we pay for the shipping, which is an estimated $25 a year per child.  Women United is dedicated to advancing the Health and Welfare of all the children in our community.

The mission of the United Way of Steele County is to change lives by mobilizing and optimizing the caring power of our community.  For more information about the work of United Way, call 507-455-1180 or visit unitedwaysteelecounty.org