Back to back days with rock star women!
The YWCA 13th Annual Circle of Women Luncheon at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Last year, the event raised half a million dollars. Now that’s the power of the purse!
Thanks Board Member Sheila Riggs for the invite: www.ywca-minneapolis.org.
What happens when more than one hundred women gather at St. Catherine University in St. Paul?
Power and Possibilities. The university holds a half-day conference this afternoon to focus on Leadership with Women of Color. I’m honored to be a small group facilitator to learn from others and to help guide the conversation. We will hear from Alvarado Construction’s CEO Linda Alvarado–the keynote speaker, trailblazer, and owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team.
I look forward to the possibilities: www.stkate.edu
I must wish my friend Roxana Saberi Happy Birthday. It is her 32nd birthday, but it’s not such a happy one for her or her family: http://tinyurl.com/c3rlsg
I remember when I turned 32. I had moved home to take a TV job in Minneapolis. I was happy to be back in my hometown surrounded by family and friends finally able to report in a market where they could watch me deliver the news.
What a contrast Roxana faces as she brings in 32. She’s in an Iranian prison appealing a conviction of espionage. And yes, her parents are in the same country with her. But instead of sharing cake and hugs, they’re sharing feelings of sadness and frustration hoping their daughter survives a hunger strike.
So Happy Birthday my friend. I applaud you for standing ground for your convictions. And I send good vibes for you to stay strong.
Smile. It makes anyone look more attractive. A smile goes with any outfit, is re-usable and recyclable.
Just when you wonder if you’re making a difference in the world, a couple impressive women ask you to be a mentor to dozens of girls. What can you say? Of course, you say yes. I’m so glad I agreed months ago to be a mentor during the Minneapolis offering of a nearly-daylong Entrepreneurship Conference for girls. About a dozen similar conferences will take place in different cities around the US.
The big day’s finally here. During much of Tuesday, nearly 100 girls and 29 mentors will gather at the University of St. Thomas Minneapolis Campus for Girls Going Places. The girls will meet their mentors: entrepreneurs, corporate business women, former law enforcement. We’ll meet them: middle school and high school girls from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Should be enlightening and fun. I hope we are able to inspire our future leaders. If the day is anything like how I felt after meeting the other women involved in this conference, we’re all in for some great talk for the future.