CAVE CREEK, AZ — What started as a simple idea from a young woman in treatment for alcohol addiction is now a Valley nonprofit serving thousands of people every year.
Patricia Brusha founded Purse Impressions in honor of her late daughter, Courtney Michaels, who died at the age of 28. She was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver after a long fight with alcohol addiction.
Courtney’s idea began years before she passed away, when she successfully completed an emotional recovery journey.
The day she graduated, she noticed other women walking out of the treatment center carrying their belongings in a plastic grocery bag.
Telling her mother that didn’t feel like a celebration. In that moment, Courtney wanted these women to leave rehab ready for a new beginning and a purse to be proud of.
“Walking out with a plastic bag wasn’t a good first impression,” Patricia said. “Courtney wanted the women to know someone cared and that they could leave feeling special.”
After Courtney’s passing, Patricia asked for purses instead of flowers at her daughter’s memorial service. She received 400 hangbags. Each one was filled with hygiene items and a handwritten message from Courtney’s original idea: “Stay strong.”
Six years later, the non -profit Purse Impressions has delivered more than 7,000 purses and now backpacks for men too. These gifts of love go to rehab centers across Arizona.
Volunteers gather several times a year to fill each one with essentials like toiletries, journals, socks, and, sometimes, pieces of jewelry. The gifts go to treatment centers ,including Crossroads Recovery, where staff members say the impact is immediate.
“It’s such a beautiful thing,” said Christin Day, a Crossroads employee who is open about her own recovery journey. “Some of them cry. These bags are the start of a fresh part of their life.”
Patricia says Purse Impressions project gives her purpose and keeps her daughter’s dream alive.
Each purse includes an affirmation card, something she says can make all the difference for women taking their first steps forward.
This Sunday, December 14th, the community is invited to be part of a purse-stuffing event at the Purse Impressions Boutique in Cave Creek where every purchase supports the nonprofit’s year-round mission.
For more information, visit purse-impressions.com.
