Eighteenth Annual International Women’s Day Celebration

The Board of Directors of Enterprising Women reported to Historic City News that their Leadership Institute will host the eighteenth annual International Women’s Day Celebration on March 7th at Marsh Creek Country Club.

The event not only honors women leaders from all over St. Johns County but also young women high school seniors selected by their respective counselors as leaders in both the school and the community. These students will receive scholarship money to support their upcoming higher education pursuits.

This year’s speaker is Honorable Gwendolyn Graham, former Congresswoman from Florida’s Second Congressional District. Ms. Graham is a lifelong advocate, particularly for those initiatives involving children and families.

While in Congress, she followed her father’s footsteps, Governor Bob Graham, with Footsteps with Graham, where she spent an entire shift working alongside constituents. Her jobs included work on farms, a day as a hotel maid, and training with the United States Air Force in a T-38 jet! Ms. Graham, an attorney in the private sector, focuses on energy and environmental issues, and previously worked with Leon County schools as Director of Employee Relations and Chief of Labor and Employee Relations; and 13 years in her most rewarding position – as a stay at home mother and PTA volunteer.

The Enterprising Women’s Leadership Institute, Inc. has recognized the accomplishments of women for over 30 years. The mission of EWLI is to identify, mentor, support and promote women’s leadership in communities worldwide. Each year, women leaders, whose names are often unfamiliar to many, are recognized and thanked for “making a difference”.

From businesswomen to community advocates; from educators to public servants; from human rights activists to environmentalists, women are leading, sharing a similar goal: making their lives and the lives of others meaningful and successful. To date, EWLI’s varied programs and services, along with its predecessor organization, The Women’s Business Development Center, have recognized more than 750 women “leading and making a difference.”

EWLI’s 2017 International Women’s Day Honorees:

• Heidi Eddins Jimmerson – Business Leader and Community Volunteer
• Melinda Peeples – Community Organizer, Founder of SEA Resource Center
• Shirley Sierra – Business Leader and Owner, Flowers by Shirley
• Jane West, Attorney, Leader in environmental law and land use

High school seniors will be announced and presented scholarships at the IWD Celebration.

For information about attending or sponsoring EWLI’s International Women’s Leadership Celebration 2017, contact Board Chair, Marilyn McCall Wiles – contact@marilynwiles.com or Treasurer, Margaret Wiles – mawiles@bellsouth.net or by calling 904-501-5359.