United Way’s Power of the Purse Strong in 12th Year

The United Way’s 12th annual Power of the Purse event, held at the Riverside Golf Club in Chehalis on Tuesday, was stronger than ever this year.

Women from all throughout Lewis County attended the event and were able to enter to win a variety of prizes — which included a wide variety of purses — with the proceeds benefitting the United Way of Lewis County.

“We are gathering women because we know women hold the key, hold the purses,” United Way of Lewis County Executive Director Debbie Campbell said. “That’s why we like to call it the Power of the Purse. This event will help United Way raise money to lift families out of poverty. It’s a fundraiser and that’s our goal, lifting families out of poverty.”

Campbell noted the event helps bring women in Lewis County together.

“We do a fun little fashion show but the purpose of this, or why it started 12 years ago, was that women love the networking piece. They get together there, and when women are together, there are some really phenomenal things that take place,” Campbell said. “We’ve had groups that have formed out of this that raise money for different things throughout the community. It’s kind of an empowering thing, but along with it, it’s a fun event to have where we can also get some really nice purses out of it.”

The Woman of Distinction award this year went to Angela DuPont, who once worked for United Way but is now the people operations director at Pacific Mobile.

“It feels amazing. It’s an honor, and I’m humbled by all the wonderful things that people said, and I was able to come from nothing and really make a difference in the community,” DuPont said. “This event, Chef’s Night Out, (they) give back to the community in so many ways and the United Way hits to the heart of the issue of poverty and helping that second generation to get to where we really need to.”

DuPont grew up in Yelm, but has lived in the Twin Cities for the last 15 years.

“I really consider it my home. It’s incredibly rewarding, and knowing that you’re giving to the United Way and that it’s actually making a difference and going to the areas that need that attention, you know you're investing your money and efforts in the right place,” DuPont said.

This is the fifth year of the award, and Campbell noted DuPont’s encouragement and support of United Way and helping others get involved in the community.

“Angela was chosen and recognized for her strong leadership skills, and her ability to serve as a role model and mentor to other women and girls and demonstrate a commitment to United Way of Lewis County’s mission to lifting families out of poverty,” Campbell said.

The event has been going strong for more than a decade, and Campbell hopes it will continue to thrive.

“When we first started 12 years ago, this was held at the (Hotel) Washington downtown, and there were about 25 women. It was just an after work, come and have a glass of wine and some hors d'oeuvre, and we had someone come in to talk about women and giving and philanthropy,” Campbell said. “From there, the message started to spread the more women started talking about it, and now we’re at where we are today. It has grown exponentially, which is very exciting.”