At the beautiful Security Service Event Center on April 19, we hosted our annual Power of the Purse auction, presented by the Mays Family Foundation, to raise funds for the United Way Child Care Scholarships. Open to the public for the first time, this year’s auction set an all-time record with more than $230,000 raised!
The event featured scholarship recipients speaking about how their lives were changed, including Sarah, who talked about how the scholarship helped her family in a time of need after separating from her spouse. “Because of your support and this incredible scholarship, I have been able to continue my education while knowing that my children are in safe and affordable child care.”
Access to affordable, quality child care is one of the largest barriers families in San Antonio face today. When combined with the cost of obtaining a degree or certificate, it stands as a barrier for parents trying to improve their family’s economic stability. United Way’s Child Care Scholarships, the signature cause of Women United, provides families with an average of $14,000 in child care each year.
We also honored Kim Lubel with the 2023 Joci Straus Visionary Leader Award and hosted a Q&A with Supergoop! CEO Holly Thaggard, who gave advice to child care scholars on their journeys to achieve success with their college degrees.
“Just make sure that you are passionate about what you are doing,” Holly Thaggard said. “It may sound cliché but at the end of the day, passion is so important when you’re starting a new journey.”
This year’s auction featured more than 100 handbags from brands like YSL, Kate Spade and Michael Kors and amazing raffle prizes valued at $650 or more.
Often parents have to make the difficult choice between paying for quality child care or paying for college tuition, a choice they usually have to make based on survival, not what is best for their families. The proceeds from this one-of-a-kind auction will provide life-changing scholarships to parents pursuing their degrees so they do not have to worry about the high cost of child care.
We are grateful to all of the sponsors of Power of the Purse, handbag donors, speakers and, of course, everyone who bid on purses and purchased raffle tickets. Because of their support, we will be able to empower even more parents to achieve economic stability in school while still knowing their children are thriving developmentally in quality child care centers.
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Categories: Women United |
