The Coweta Community Foundation’s Power of the Purse fundraiser on Oct. 27 featured speaker Mary Frances Bowley of Peachtree City, the founder of Wellspring Living, an organization that has been fighting childhood sexual abuse and exploitation since 2001. The event was held at The Newnan Centre.
Foundation members have noted that Wellspring Living provides an important resource to the Coweta community, and the trial testimony provided by a member of the Wellspring organization contributed to the guilty verdict in the sex-trafficking case recently prosecuted by the Coweta DA’s office.
Bowley said those attending the luncheon showed their caring hearts just by being there, and she praised the local DA and law enforcement. She said that in the recent sex-trafficking case involving a Coweta victim, they were determined both to prosecute the offender and to get help for the young woman who had been victimized.
A former kindergarten teacher, Bowley shared the story of how she felt unqualified when she first got involved with women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation. She and a team of volunteers founded Wellspring Living in 2001, and more than 150 women have been served through the program since that time. Wellspring Living now runs three homes, and the organization notes that these homes “provide therapy, counseling, life-skills training, education and a fresh start for young women and girls who have been sexually abused or trafficked.”
Also at the luncheon, Norma Haynes of Newnan was named the Woman of the Year. A longtime community volunteer in Newnan and Coweta County, Haynes has served in numerous local civic and social organizations, and in recent years she has become known for serving as organizer and chair of the annual Newnan-Coweta Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon.
This was the second year for the Power of the Purse, which benefits the Coweta Community Foundation’s Women’s and Children’s Fund. The purse-themed event featured flower-filled purses as table arrangements and a popular Silent Auction of designer purses, with the Silent Auction alone raising more than $13,000 this year.
Also at the luncheon, the 2015 Woman of the Year, Leah Sumner, announced the launch of “100 Women Who Care Coweta County,” a grassroots organization that will focus on coordinating funding for local charitable organizations and needs. The concept is simple. Each member chooses a personal container in which she agrees to place one dollar each day, a daily practice that serves as a reminder that by giving a little each day, these women can make a difference in the community. Sumner said she has been aware of similar projects around the country and had considered such a project for the past few years. When she was named the first Woman of the Year and asked whether she had a platform or issue she wanted to promote, it seemed like the perfect time to launch “100 Women Who Care Coweta County.”
The 100 women in the group will meet quarterly, each bringing her container with her $100 in quarterly contributions. When the 100 women gather, each with $100 to contribute, the result will be $10,000 that is available to benefit the community. At the first, second and fourth quarterly meetings of the year, the women will select a local charitable project to receive the $10,000 donation. Funds collected at the third quarterly meeting will be contributed to the Coweta Community Foundation’s Women’s and Children’s Fund.
The Coweta Community Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)3 organization that helps focus local philanthropy on the community’s changing needs. The Foundation manages individual gifts and bequests as an endowed pool of assets, distributing grants to a wide variety of organizations that enhance and support the quality of life in Coweta County, while maintaining the charitable intent of the donors. For more information, call the Foundation at 770-253-1833 or visit cowetafoundation.org.
Bowley, center, is pictured with, from left, Sara Beth Terry of Wellspring Living and CCF board member LaVann Landrum.
