Several hundred Midlands women turned out at the Capital City Club in Columbia, May 20 for the 2009 Power of the Purse, hosted by Tom Sawyer Company CEO Carolyn Sawyer. This is the signature event of the Midlands’ Women in Philanthropy.
Sawyer led the participants as they bid on a long line of designer handbags and elaborate purses that were donated by area businesses. Other items up for bid were portraits, prints, USC football tickets and free eye exams. Proceeds will go to the Women in Philanthropy general fund, which supports a variety of charitable efforts targeted to women’s and children’s services.
Women in Philanthropy started with a little more than a dozen members and has grown to about 150. Since its creation in 2002, the organization has contributed thousands of dollars to area charity efforts. In the past year, the group awarded more than $60,000 in grants to agencies including the Alliance for Women, Community Mediation Center, Nurturing Center, Partners in Compassion Institute and the Red Cross.
Women in Philanthropy is a partnership of the United Way of the Midlands and the Central Carolina Community Foundation.
Carolyn Sawyer, President and CEO of the Tom Sawyer Company, serves as Moderator, Facilitator and hosts select events all over the country. The former network news broadcaster, turned successful entrepreneur, has also authored a business must-read for any aspiring business owner, Forget the Glass Slipper - Build Your Own Castle: Ten Traits of a Million Dollar Business. For more information about Carolyn’s availability or the award-winning Tom Sawyer Company, contact Eddie Parker; phone (803) 252-8773 or email eparker@tomsawyercompany.com.