One hundred years ago, women were fighting harder, together, than ever before. That fight culminated in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 8, 1920. The amendment reads:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
It was the first time since the birth of the new nation that women were constitutionally allowed to participate in its democracy.
In 2020, amid turmoil on many fronts, two Paducah organizations are taking a page from the playbooks of women suffragists—they are simply not backing down.
The leadership of Paducah Professional Women and United Way of Paducah-McCracken County first postponed their annual Power of the Purse event due to COVID-19 concerns, but when it became clear that adaptations would need to be made to continue, they fought hard to preserve it.
After all, it is a special year for women to celebrate.
“Power of the Purse is a lunch event for professional women to highlight equal pay for women in the workplace, encourage and inspire women at work, and social networking for women in business,” says Amy Roof, Co-Chair of the Power of the Purse event for Paducah Professional Women and Senior Vice President of Williams & Roof Wealth Management Group.
“We know that many professional opportunities for women were made possible by their right to vote. It was definitely something we wanted to not miss the chance to celebrate,” says Betsy Burkeen, United Way of Paducah-McCracken County Executive Director and Power of the Purse Co-Chair.
The event, which annually attracts more than 200 Paducah-area women, has moved to a virtual platform, which will still allow attendees the chance to network and hear from a guest speaker.
“There will still be networking and a speaker; the only difference will be it will be virtual networking and no lunch served. It will be quite different than any Zoom or Skype meeting you have attended. You can visit tables and private or group chat with friends,” Amy says.
“There will still be amazing networking opportunity, beautiful purses to bid on, and the chance to hear from Kentucky State Treasurer, Allison Ball. Treasurer Ball is certain to inspire us all!” Betsy says.
In addition to celebrating women’s equality, the groups believed it was important for the Power of the Purse event to continue for other reasons.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Amy says that Paducah Professional Women has been taking care of members whose businesses or careers have been negatively affected. Power of the Purse will continue those efforts.
“We have used the funds raised through Power of the Purse to provide relief for PPW members affected by COVID-19 in their business or career,” she says.
“We want to keep this group together, encouraged, and informed, as well as raise funds for the needs in our community.”
Though the event will be different this year, both organizers believe that it is still just as critical as ever.
“This fall will be a motivating year since it is 2020, and it will help us all grow out of traditional event planning and fundraising into a virtual world that can have quite an impact,” Amy says.
“COVID-19 has impacted us all greatly, and our local nonprofit community has experienced the weight of canceled fundraisers, reduced revenues, and increased needs of the people we serve. Now, more than ever, our community needs us to show up to the opportunities that help to raise much needed funds to support our people,” Betsy says.
Despite the changes, both Betsy and Amy are adamant that the 2020 Power of the Purse event will be among the best yet.
“We have the chance this year to celebrate a truly historic event, while helping our fellow women thrive through another historical time,” Amy says.
“Despite the challenges, this is truly a year to celebrate, and we are grateful that Power of the Purse gives us the chance to do that.”
“Let’s face it… we could all stand to feel empowered and have a little fun right now,” Betsy echoes.
