Naturopathic Doctor (ND) Erin TeWinkel and volunteer Board Chair with the Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation Randi Bokor Caron are planning a full day of activities to engage and uplift local women.
SheLeads is scheduled for July 8 at the Capitol Theatre and all women-identifying individuals are invited to attend. The day will consist of speakers, workshops, and other special activities designed by-and-for women.
Both TeWinkel and Bokor Caron appreciate the power of community through their work in their respective fields and experiences living in bigger cities. Both women grew up in the Chatham-Kent area, and since moving back to the community, have wanted to put together an event that brings diverse women together in a supportive way.
"The intent of the whole day is to educate, empower, and inspire," explained TeWinkel.
SheLeads will offer more than 20 workshops covering a variety of topics like impostor syndrome, burnout, and financial stress. Others will be movement-based, fashion-themed, and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
"We're trying to reach every aspect and be as cross-sectional as we can, and provide fun learning opportunities for women of our community," TeWinkel added.
The co-founder of SheLeads says the event is suitable for ages 10 and up. Mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, grandmothers, and granddaughters are welcome to attend.
Stephanie Simmons will emcee the day with TeWinkel as the first keynote speaker, talking about how women can build a stronger sense of community.
"I want a huge ripple effect. I want women to know that we can get together, I want women to know that community is important, and we can find community," she said. "There’s a lot of new women in the community who have moved here over the pandemic and are trying to find friends and find people to connect with. So really, connection and community is a key piece.”
The other piece? Empowering women. All workshops are being hosted by women-identifying members of the community. Local women-owned businesses will get exposure through the event with some breakout sessions happening at other venues in the neighbourhood. SheLeads will wrap up with a fashion show featuring styles from local retailers.
To ensure all interested women can attend, SheLeads is offering "pay-what-you-can" model, asking guests to make a donation they are comfortable with rather than setting a price per ticket. The scale is from $0 to $100, but TeWinkel says the suggested donation is $20. Contributions will be used to cover the cost of the event. Any additional profits will be given to the JoLynn Deprez Athletic Fund.
“We are absolutely ecstatic by the response SheLeads has received from the women-identifying folks of Chatham-Kent, said Bokor Caron. “We are grateful to the many incredible women in CK who are participating in SheLeads as workshop facilitators, keynote speakers and sponsors but are especially indebted to those who are trusting us and signing up to attend.”
Registration is available online at https://www.sheleadsck.com/. TeWinkel says the workshop schedule has not been released yet. Everyone who registers will be invited to attend three workshops.
TeWinkel says you can also reach out via Instagram at @sheleadsck for help securing your seat.