“Power of the Purse” luncheon empowers women while supporting youth literacy

By Karen Owens, Publisher

The Black River United Way’s fourth annual Power of the Purse luncheon was a powerful example of how women leaders who lift each other up can accomplish anything they put their mind to – Amen!

Nearly 100 women packed the historic Winyah Indigo Society Hall on Wednesday, March 18 to support Women United’s signature fundraising event for the Heroes for Literacy program, which provides critical support to students in kindergarten through third grade. With a silent auction of premium items donated by local area businesses to the delightful lunch catered by The Southern Culinarian, the event was a charming first foray into the Georgetown nonprofit for me.

But the powerful speaker and panel discussion that followed upped the level of fundraising luncheon to a new high that quite frankly will be hard for others to meet in my estimation.

The “surprise guest speaker” was Youth Leadership Coach Yolanda McCray, who also happens to serve as the President and CEO of the Black River United Way. She delivered such an inspiring and motivating testimonial about how we all need to be the light in our busy world and uplift women of all ages and backgrounds that if she had passed a collection plate at the end of her remarks, it would have been overflowing. The cheers, applause and tears were visible throughout the room as McCray’s message of female empowerment deeply resonated with her audience.

Next we were treated to a panel of three outstanding young women who were equally engaging and informative in their own rights: Andrews High School senior Kaleigh Moore who is planning to attend Coastal Carolina and major in education; Winthrop sophomore Kamora Reed (also from Andrews) who serves as a Teaching Fellow and plans to be a middle school English teacher; and Chloe Benston, a 25-year-old Pawleys native who left college to help run her family’s retail businesses.

Using the Be the Light theme McCray shared during her presentation, she asked the panelists for their perspectives on how women could better support our next generation, what they thought was most important about being the light for someone else, and to name someone who had been the shining light that motivated them on their young journeys.

A common takeaway for me was they don’t want the tried-and-true, this-is- how-we’ve-always-done-it approach that our mothers or grandmothers used on us. They know they don’t have all the answers, but they want our reassurance and some grace, rather than judgment and criticism. They want to feel confident and safe when they put themselves out there in a new task or role and feel ok if they do not always hit the mark, because there is growth in falling short. Encouragement, belief, affirmation and even prayer go along way to helping this younger generation of female leaders – and if we’re honest, that’s what many of us older women respond to as well.

Thank you, United Women and Black River United Way, for all you are doing to help our community, especially the children who are being tutored by volunteers and the young women you highlighted today. The inspiration I received at lunch has my candle burning bright, and I cannot wait to ask someone if they “need a light!”