2025 Power of the Purse Pulitzer Prize-winning Keynote Speaker to Explore Poverty

The 14th Annual United Way Women United Power of the Purse Luncheon and Silent Auction presented by Hartford HealthCare is a powerful event for networking, philanthropy and connection – all in support of ending poverty in the community by closing financial gaps for local women and families.

This year’s keynote speakers are Andrea Elliott and Dasani Coates. Elliott is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has documented the lives of poor Americans, Muslim immigrants and other people on the margins of power. She is an investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of “Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City”, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. Invisible Child follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani Coates, a child with an imagination as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn homeless shelter.

Power of the Purse, best known for its impactful and inspirational program that leaves the audience bonded by powerful shared philanthropy will be held on June 12 at the Connecticut Convention Center. Throughout the program, attendees will hear stories about how contributions are making an impact locally. The funds raised at this event benefit United Way-supported initiatives that are working to end poverty in the local community by supporting local adults and families offering career coaching, job training, financial education, budget and savings opportunities.