ECC Foundation's Purses with Purpose giving circle celebrates its fifth anniversary May 9
The Elgin Community College Foundation's Purses with Purpose giving circle is celebrating its fifth anniversary from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, at the Grand Victoria Casino Grand Ballroom, 250 S. Grove Ave., Elgin.
All proceeds from the event go toward funding scholarships for women. Members of the community who want to help support ECC's students in reaching their educational dreams are encouraged to attend.
The event reception and program will feature news anchor and philanthropist, Soledad O'Brien, an Emmy and Peabody Award winning journalist, author and philanthropist.
O'Brien is the CEO of her multi-platform media production and distribution company, Starfish Media Group. She currently produces and hosts "Matter of Fact," a weekly newsmagazine, and runs PowHERful Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides scholarships, mentorship and wraparound services to young women attending college.
The inaugural Carol Broeker Impact Award, which recognizes the achievements of a Purses with Purpose Scholarship recipient, will also be announced during the event. The award was named in honor of one of the founding members of Purses with Purpose, ECC alumnae and committee chair, Carol Broeker.
"The Purses with Purpose Scholarship has been instrumental in assisting students to achieve their educational dreams at ECC," said Monica Bucek, interim executive director of the ECC Foundation and a member of Purses with Purpose. "In addition to celebrating student success, we are also celebrating the women from our community who have supported these dreams over the years. Their generous gifts have had an impressive impact on the college and our community."
The event will celebrate the giving circle's proud past and promising future of "empowering women through education." The Purses with Purpose giving circle was launched in fall 2012 to empower women through the gift of education and help them achieve their full potential. Over the past five years, the group has awarded more than $65,000 to 38 students and is also building an endowment to ensure perpetual impact.
During the 2017-18 academic year, the giving circle awarded $18,000 in scholarships to 15 ECC students.
The event is sponsored by Grand Victoria Casino, Grand Victoria Foundation, Casey Family Programs and Lauderdale Electric.
Members of the community who are interested in attending must register. Tickets for the event are $50 per person and can be purchased through Wednesday, May 2 at bit.ly/PursesCelebration. Donors can generously sponsor the attendance of a student recipient for $50 per student. Seating is limited.
For more information about the ECC Foundation's Purses with Purpose giving circle and how you can empower lives through the gift of education at ECC, contact the ECC Foundation at foundation@elgin.edu or 847-214-7377.