Women’s Fund Luncheon Empowering Experience

Posted by Deb Fiebig, PR Director

Recently, I attended my first Annual Women’s Fund luncheon in Appleton. The sold-out event was held at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel with hundreds of women (and a few brave men) in attendance. I’ve never witnessed so much estrogen in one place before. What a truly uplifting experience. WFRV’s Erin Davisson was Mistress of Ceremonies, and University of Wisconsin graduate and bestselling author Kris Radish was the keynote speaker. The audience roared with laughter at Radish’s humorous anecdotes detailing her life’s adventures—college, marriage, divorce, parenting, travels as a journalist and decision to become a successful author. Listening to Radish, I couldn’t help draw comparisons to my own life and career path. Both of us are baby boomers who graduated from college during a time when Cosmo was telling us that we could have it all—career, marriage and children. It was an exciting time that spurred women to believe we could achieve our dreams with hard work and determination. I was fortunate to have a female boss as a mentor when I worked as a copywriter in a corporate communications department. Her support, guidance and words of encouragement were invaluable, and gave me more confidence to believe in myself and achieve my goals of pursuing a career in advertising and public relations. That’s what the Women’s Fund is all about—creating positive social change by investing in the unique needs of women and girls. Last year, the group awarded more than $389,000 in grants to programs that support women and girls in our community. When we support the growth and empowerment of women and girls, we raise the quality of life for everyone.