On June 15th I had the pleasure of attending the Women’s Leadership Council, Power Of The Purse Luncheon, and Silent Auction. The event is coordinated by the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. The Women’s Leadership Council is part of the United Way and works to build stronger communities through education, financial stability, and access to immediate emergency assistance, such as food and shelter. Proceeds raised from the Power of The Purse event help to provide personalized financial education workshops, one-on-one financial coaching, free tax preparation, and a matched savings account program to help women and families in their community become financially stable.  Slalom was a silver sponsor at this event and I was so happy to be able to attend as a guest of Slalom. I am proud to be a part of a company that cares so much about the community we are in.

When I arrived at the Connecticut Convention Center I was blown away by how many women were already at the auction. There were many, many purses available for auction and there was an online app that we used to bid with. I had my eye on a few, but the cost was going higher than my budget was going to allow so I had to sadly let them go. My favorite was the Tiffany & Co. bag.

We were first greeted by the Mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin. Then Erica Dean the Event Co-Chair from Comcast welcomed us along with Jocelyn DeMaio from The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and Empowered Indoor Cycling Studio.

Next was a powerful video from Heidi Voight of NBC Connecticut. She shared her story of how her family needed the help of the United Way when her mom was raising her family as a single parent. They were in a desperate situation and needed help and the United Way in Milford, CT helped them get through those tough times.

There are many families in CT, more than one in four households, who are living in a demographic referred by the United Way as ALICE. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. They are above the federal poverty level but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. It’s a real struggle for these hard-working families. This struggle makes it hard for families to afford basic needs such as housing, childcare, food, healthcare, and transportation. But with organizations like the United Way and the Women’s Leadership Council, we can help.

The featured speaker was Dr. Bertice Berry. O-M-G!  She was spectacular! She was funny and her message was very powerful. Some of the points I got from her message were:

• Clean your filter and get rid of things in your life that you no longer need or that are not good for you.
• Remember to take a moment to feel the joy of doing something good for someone else.
• No matter what WE are going through, we still have the power to help someone else.
• We are connected by our stories.
• Sometimes we see what people didn’t do instead of seeing what they did do.
• Forgiveness is not letting someone off the hook, it is getting off the hook you were put on.
• Our accomplishments don’t complete the work we need to do.
• Sometimes we think we are on different sides of the street, but we come together to heal.
• We deserve goodness
• ALICE is US, we need each other, we are connected to one another.

These are some beautiful, honest statements that we really need to live by! I could have listened to Dr. Berry speak all day. She speaks from her heart and her experience.

I had the pleasure of meeting her at the end of the event. While waiting to greet her I had the chance to meet Davine Manson after the event was over. Her photo was on the centerpieces of the tables and she is also highlighted in the program. I asked her how the United Way had helped her and she said it was through The Village that she was able to get help for her family. She suffered from a traumatic brain injury from domestic violence. Because of this injury, she had frequent seizures, PTSD and depression, and suicidal thoughts. She couldn’t drive because of her seizures. But she was fortunate to connect with Andrea Robinson, The Village’s financial recruiter/educator. She worked with Andrea to update her resume, improved her interview skills, and secured a job as an executive assistant to the Chief Medical Officer at Charter Oak Health Center. When I was talking with her she said she wanted to give back and create a program for women in need as a way to give back for what was given to her.

During the event, we were asked if we could help the United Way reach a high goal they had set to raise $60,000 that day. Not only was that number met, but it exceeded it within a very short time! This event was wonderful and I hope to have the opportunity to attend it again next year.  I will be looking for more messages by Dr. Berry on YouTube.  She is very motivational and inspiring.  I hope this inspires you to look at what opportunities you have in your neighborhood to give back and lend a hand to women and families in need, or possibly even attend The Power Of The Purse event next year.