Women are raising their voices to inspire one another ahead of International Women’s Day.
Diana Woolridge-Jones has organized a full day of speakers and workshops at the Innovation Centre in Kelowna, B.C., alongside Liza Magcale.
“We wanted to make it an opportunity for people to be able to come down … and just hear some amazing women talk about their experiences,” said Woolridge-Jones.
Through the event, Wooldridge-Jones hopes to inspire a bigger conversation: helping women advocate for themselves in the workplace.
So she has gathered six speakers with successful careers to share their stories on stage. That list includes Paula Quinn, executive director of KF Aerospace & Excellence.
“What I really want to be able to do is share my life experiences because I believe that life experiences are what make up the person,” said Quinn.
“I really want to share how I got those life experiences and encourage others to embrace those.”
Some of the funds raised through ticket sales from the Women’s Day event will be invested back into the community and entrusted to the Kelowna Gospel Mission women’s programs.
“We’re really excited to be the charity of choice for this amazing event that’s all about empowering women. Most people don’t recognize the fact that Kelowna Gospel Mission has a specific program specifically aimed at women experiencing homelessness,” said Carmen Rempel, Kelowna’s Gospel Mission executive director.
“We have four community women’s homes. These are therapeutic homes where women can come and find the healing that they need.”
Rempel says it is in these homes where women can create lasting change.
“They’re given emotional support, they are given support with life skill development and there’s case management provided to help them work on their goals, so they can be empowered to move up and out of whatever is the best next step for them,” said Rempel.
Celebrate International Women’s Day at Kelowna’s Innovation Centre on March 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets are still available online. For more information visit www.eventbrite.com