Pat Brown at the ABWA luncheon in December 2012.

A donation of Pampering Purses will be donated to the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley during the Feb. 20 meeting of New River Valley Express Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. The group collected 25 purses along with several items provided  by local businesses.

Here’s the press release from New River Valley Express Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association.

The members of the New River Valley Express Network of the American Businesswomen’s Association (ABWA) like to work on several projects a year to give back to women in the community. During their next networking luncheon on February 20, 2013, a donation of “Pampering Purses” will be presented to Pat Brown, Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley in Radford. Each month, the New River Valley Express Network holds a networking luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn in Blacksburg. “We are very excited to coordinate this project for a second year. Our membership represents a diverse group of business people from a wide span of industries all sharing in the desire to support women, both personally and professionally. Our hope is that the gift of a Pampering Purse will provide a personal and practical gift that lifts the spirit of a woman in need. We strive to positively influence our community and feel this project allows us to reach beyond our areas of business expertise to support other women,” says Melinda Dunford, President for 2012–2013.

Last year, the organization was able to donate 50 purses to the center for distribution. Members collected personal care items and purses, and a team assembled the items which were then topped off with beautiful scarves. This year, 25 purses will be donated, with several items that were provided by local businesses. “The people we served absolutely loved the purses last year. It was wonderful to watch them choose a purse and see their excitement as they opened them and found all sorts of goodies in them,” says Pat.

Founded in 1949 by Hilary A. Bufton Jr., a Kansas City, Mo., businessman, ABWA has thousands of members in chapters and Express Networks nationwide. The organization provides business training and networking opportunities for women of diverse occupations and backgrounds. ABWA has dedicated more than half a century to women’s education and provided workplace skills and career development training for more than 545,000 members.