(Fayetteville, N.C.) –
A group of women leaders from the City of Fayetteville, Center for Economic Empowerment & Development (CEED), The Women of Power Society, Piedmont Natural Gas, Coldwell Banker, Public Works Commission (PWC), and Fayetteville Greater Chamber swiftly came together to develop an idea around celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8th) and Women’s History Month (March) with an inclusive event for women, thus HER Week; HER Fayetteville was created. HER Week; HER Fayetteville, will be a week of events starting on Monday, March 7th through Friday, March 11th where registrants will participate in both in-person around the city and virtual events online on Facebook @herweeknc and @wbcfay.
The mission of HER Week; HER Fayetteville is to celebrate and empower women through education, networking, mentoring, and partnerships to promote opportunities for all women throughout Fayetteville. Efforts to celebrate HER Week; HER Fayetteville will focus on Heart, Equality, and Resilience, celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.
The recent pandemic created an even greater gap in the resources and needs of women in our community. As we find ourselves slowly moving forward into recovery, it is more important than ever to build an environment where we incite positive change and strengthen community connections. “Fayetteville was the home of the first SBA supported Women’s Business Center in the state of NC, I am proud to say that was here at CEED. The pandemic showed us our work is not done. Now more than ever, we must continue to provide analysis, education, medical assistance, childcare assistance, business training, and loan funds for women. We need to continue to develop programs and policies with a better understanding of the needs of women in our community that will ultimately help them to succeed.” said Suzy Hrabovsky, Executive Director, CEED and Co-Chair of HER Week; HER Fayetteville.
HER Week; HER Fayetteville makes a purposeful distinction using the word ‘HER’ because it is possessive and speaks to the empowerment of women to create the community they want to see. It symbolizes women taking ownership for HER Week; HER Fayetteville and leading HER Community. HER Week; HER Fayetteville will become a part of our community’s local fabric with events to celebrate, motivate, and empower women. As we roll out HER Week; HER Fayetteville, other community partners are coming to the table in collaboration such as Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Greater Fayetteville United, and Cool Spring Downtown District and we look forward to many more.
“The City of Fayetteville is excited to be a founding partner in HER Week; HER Fayetteville. The vision for the City is to be a culturally diverse and inclusive city that is safe, prosperous, innovative, and unified. HER Week; HER Fayetteville collaboration advances this vision with actions designed to contribute to the progress of women in our community, ensuring opportunities to flourish in career, in family, in community, and in business” said Rebecca Jackson, City of Fayetteville’s Chief of Staff and Co-Chair of HER Week; HER Fayetteville.
HER Week; HER Fayetteville Itinerary:
Monday, March 7 – #HERFayetteville Kick-Off Brunch Day
Cape Fear Botanical Gardens for event set up. Guests will arrive for a celebratory brunch at 10:00 AM and will open with a City of Fayetteville Proclamation from the City of Fayetteville Mayor, a special keynote delivery from Elaine Marshall, NC Secretary of State, as well as other inspirational activities and speakers highlighting women’s advancements in leadership, community, and business. Participants will receive a special gift bag with goodies promoting the event as well as other gifts and coupons from other businesses in the area. Tickets are available online starting at $38 (scholarships available for those that qualify – See event page for details)
Tuesday, March 8 – #HERStory Day
Fayetteville women will take to social media to share their personal stories of strength and success in their communities. Women will receive prompts via email once they are registered. WBCFAY will be promoting locally known authors/ clientele from the WBCFay Facebook page. The Cumberland County Library will be sharing a special reading list of Women’s History Books to read. There is also a MYSTERY POPUP evening networking event planned – Must be registered to receive location!
Wednesday, March 9 – #HERHealth Day
This day will be all virtual events! This may involve us doing fun exercises on a zoom video or talking about our mental and physical health. Wear your #HERFayetteville T-Shirts! (TSHIRTS Available for purchase online at herweek.org or Facebook @herweeknc)
Thursday, March 10 – #HERPitch Day
This event will be held at Segra Stadium with up to $10,000 in grants provided to the best pitches from local small businesses. The funding for the grants is provided by CEED Women’s Fund and the City of Fayetteville Developmental Department. Leading up to this Pitch competition event, WBCFAY will be giving training on “How to Pitch Your Business”. Participants will send in their slides/applications to WBCFAY. Everyone is invited to view the competition live at Segra from 1pm until 4pm when the winner will be announced. Seating limited must register to be in the audience. No fee but prior registration required.
Friday, March 11 – #HERBusiness Day
Tag your favorite woman-owned businesses in Fayetteville and stay tuned for the for business grand openings we have planned for this day by WBCFAY and the Chamber of Commerce. You MUST register to get your invites! Cool Spring District will be providing Cool Spring District Woman-Owned businesses with a special window decal celebrating Woman’s History Month.
HER Week; HER Fayetteville would not be possible without the generous contributions from our inaugural sponsors: 2022 HER Week current sponsors:
• The City of Fayetteville including the Economic and Community Development Department supporting HER Pitch
• CEED
• Women of Power Society of NC
• Caldwell Banker
• Piedmont Natural Gas
• Greater Fayetteville Chamber
• Public Works Commission
• Fayetteville State University
For more information and ticket purchases, please visit www.herweek.org or follow us on Facebook at @herweeknc.
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About The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development:
The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development, CEED, a 501 (c)3 organization that promotes economic and personal development. CEED is home to two programs: The Women’s Business Center of Fayetteville and CEED Capital, a microlending program. Our mission is to promote growth, productiveness, and well-being through business services counseling, education, information, advocacy programs, and providing small business loans to microbusinesses. CEED works with other community agencies to achieve this goal and has a solid history of helping socially and economically disadvantaged women, men, and families through our specialized programs. CEED delivers a $10 million per year impact to the Sandhills Region of North Carolina through programs. To learn more about CEED, please visit www.ncceed.org
The City of Fayetteville is a dynamic, culturally-rich community committed to high performance, transparency, and innovation. Directly adjacent to Fort Bragg, Fayetteville is home to more than 210,000 residents. The mission of the City is to provide sustainable, high-quality public services for our communities to thrive and businesses to grow. With creative energy, vibrant history, and compassionate people, Fayetteville always finds a way. That’s why we are America’s Can Do City. To learn more about the City of Fayetteville and City departments or services, please visit Fayetteville the mission of HER Week; HER Fayetteville is to celebrate and empower women through education, networking, mentoring, and partnerships to promote opportunities for all women throughout Fayetteville. Efforts to celebrate HER Week; HER Fayetteville will focus on Heart, Equality, and Resilience, celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month follow. us on Facebook or Instagram.
