Efforts to celebrate #HERFayetteville will focus on Heart, Equality and Resilience while celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.
Suzy Hrabovsky, the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Empowerment and Development, said that she is excited to bring this event back after a successful launch last year.
“This is a week long celebration of what women have done, what they can do, and celebrating each other and coming together. So often we hear negative things about women empowerment, but this is just an inclusive, celebratory pat on the back and a time to just be happy and excited about what we've done and to continue to move forward and just take a little time to catch our breath,” Hrabovsky said.
The event starts on March 5, and each day has a specific theme. The themes are correlated as hashtags, so if people go or participate in the event, they can use the hashtags when they post about it on social media.
Day One: #HERImpact
Join CEED and the Women’s Business Center of Fayetteville on March 5 at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden for a morning full of delicious brunch and motivation. In honor of the launch of #HERWeek, they will be hosting inspiring female leaders in our community to celebrate the accomplishments of women in Fayetteville.
“We will have someone there from the SBA talking about the women in business. And we'll have a panel that’s talking about impacts women have made here locally,” Hrabovsky said.
At the time of publication, the panelists had not been named yet. Meraki Creative will also be at the brunch with interactive booths. The brunch starts at 10 a.m. Individual tickets are $35.
Day Two: #HERHealth
As the name suggests, the day is focusing on women’s health. CEED is offering Women's Health Expo sessions with Origins Naturopathic Health and Wellness — holistic team and medical partners from Fayetteville throughout the day. They will be highlighting not only physical health but also focusing on women’s mental and spiritual wellness.
Topics that will be discussed include breast health, the lymphatic system, movements, hormones, sleep, diet, general health and chiropractic health. Tickets are $25.
Day Three: #HERPitch
Join the Women’s Business Center at Volta Space March 8 to listen to aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their amazing business ideas to a panel of Fayetteville professionals. Think of it like “Shark Tank,” but for local women entrepreneurs. CEED Capital and Women of Power Society will award up to $10,000 in prizes to the entrepreneurs with the best pitch. Last year, eight competitors presented plans. Three business owners were awarded grants in the competition.
For more information about registering call 910-323-3377.
Since March 8 will be International Women’s Day, HERWeek Fayetteville will celebrate with an International Women’s Day Parade. The parade will be celebrating women from different cultures, nations and heritages. There is a $5 fee for parade entry.
Day Four: #HERBuild
The Women's Business Center of Fayetteville is partnering with Habitat for Humanity as part of the annual Women’s Build event. This event on March 9 will have stations where women can learn how to build and construct a home. Participants can learn the basics of plumbing, drywall and electrical work.
The class aims to give women the confidence to make home repairs and home improvements without having to spend hundreds of dollars for a professional to do it for you. No experience is necessary. There will be lunch, speakers, raffles and more to celebrate female entrepreneurship by learning new abilities, and sharing your support using the #HERFayetteville hashtags!
There will be a $25 fee. For more information and to sign up, go to https://www.fayettevillenchabitat.org/womensbuild2023.
Day Five: #HERService
This day is completely virtual. The Women’s Business Center of Fayetteville will be showcasing the female workers who support our local community. On their social media pages, the Women’s Business Center of Fayetteville will highlight firefighters, EMS workers, teachers, police officers, and military service members.
“We’ve done a bunch of interviews with different women in the community, from teaching to veterans to women who are firefighters, women who are at the 911 station, just women doing different services in our community,” Hrabovsky said.
For more information about the events during HERWeek Fayetteville, go to https://www.wbcfay.org/