NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of Middle Tennessee’s most significant celebrations of women’s philanthropy plans to champion female entrepreneurs at its prime fundraising event.

The Power of the Purse®, the 26th annual luncheon benefiting The Women’s Fund at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is set for 11 am-1 pm Wednesday, April 12 at the Music City Center’s Davidson Ballroom. Tickets are available at www.thewomensfund.com

 Keynote Speaker Susie Sarich

Dictionaries define the word entrepreneur as “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” That certainly fits the description of this year’s guest speaker.

Susan “Susie” Sarich has a great story to tell about founding and leading the SusieCakes bakery phenomenon, which grew from a Los Angeles neighborhood favorite to 26 stores nationwide thanks in part to a sizable celebrity following — Selena Gomez, the Kardashians, Jessica Simpson, Demi Lovato and Nashville native Reese Witherspoon among them.

Her company has its sights set on further national expansion — Nashville is at or near the top of the list — and SusieCakes recently launched nationwide shipping of its made-from-scratch-baked goods, which include cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

Community Impact

Sarich’s philanthropic efforts include SusieCakes donating hundreds of thousands of end-of-day products to local food banks, veteran’s groups, homeless shelters and women’s domestic-abuse safe houses. Additionally, her company often donates proceeds to numerous organizations, ranging from local animal shelters to the American Red Cross and as well as international causes, such as support for Ukraine.

“At SusieCakes, it’s crucial for us to ensure we are giving back to the community that supported us to become the brand we are today,” Sarich told Medium.com last year.

Guests will want to arrive early to bid on the array of colorful and choice purses contributed to the silent auction for The Power of the Purse® luncheon — affectionately known as POP to its many insiders.

The Women’s Fund was established in 1994 by a committee of brave community leaders who wanted to invest in long-term solutions for transforming the lives of women and girls and thus improve the well-being of our entire community. Humbly beginning with eight $500 grants, The Women’s Fund grantmaking capacity has grown every year has granted more than $2.5 million to 160 area nonprofits in Middle Tennessee.

About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

The Community Foundation exists to promote and facilitate giving in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee and beyond. It does this by accepting gifts of any size from anyone at any time and by empowering individuals, families, companies, nonprofits, and communities to respond to needs and opportunities that matter. The Community Foundation works with people who have great hearts, whether or not they have great wealth, to craft solutions that reflect the intentions and goals of their charitable endeavors. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.