Where in the World is Women Employed?
Since the start of 2023, Women Employed (WE) has hit the ground running! Kicking off our 50th Anniversary year, WE has not only maintained our presence at the forefront of nearly every major advancement for working women in the U.S., we have also been present at quite a few events around the city of Chicago. Starting with the Mayoral Forum on January 14th, to our most recent Advocacy Council Meeting, Women Employed has proven that our activism doesn’t just stop at the office.
Missed out? Here’s a recap of where WE has been.
Chicago Women’s Mayoral Forum 2023
Chicagoans want to know where the Chicago mayoral candidates stand on issues important to women—reproductive rights, public safety, affordable housing, clean air and water, equity in the workplace and our paychecks, healthcare, education and more.
Chicago is our city, and we care deeply about it. Together we must make sure our women’s agenda is every candidate’s agenda.
Last month, WE co-sponsored the Chicago Women Take Action Alliance for the 2023 Women’s Mayoral Forum. During this event, 45+ women’s organizations gathered at the Chicago Temple and heard eight of the nine candidates running for Chicago’s Mayoral seat discuss several issues affecting women, such as abortion, health care and education. Other topics that were addressed included discrimination, gun violence, and police reform.
Join Women Employed for the next Mayoral Forum on March 11th, from 2 p.m. — 4 p.m. at the Chicago Temple located at 77 W. Washington. Tickets are free, but registration is required.
To register, visit bit.ly/CWTAAforum.
Board Retreat
The Women Employed Board of Directors braved the cold temps and snowy conditions on Saturday, January 28th for their annual retreat! The Board and staff met at Bernstein Private Wealth Management’s office for a day of tough questions and sharing good ideas. The Board communicated their enthusiasm and voiced strong support for the organization as we prepared to kick off our 50th Anniversary Year!
WE would like to thank our Board for their continuous commitment of time, energy, and creativity. To learn more about our Board of Directors, visit https://womenemployed.org/board-of-directors/.
9th Annual Chicago Cider Summit Festival
Women Employed’s 1st Cider Summit was one for the books! Hailed as the region’s largest hard cider tasting event, this celebration featured local, regional, and international mead, cider cocktails, apple spirits, and more. Held at Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom, the event saw almost 2,000 attendees throughout the course of two different tasting sessions.
As this year’s non-profit beneficiary, WE received proceeds from ticket sales and was able to exceed our fundraising goal! We also had a chance to network with several other vendors, including Binny’s Beverage Depot, who has selected Women Employed as their non-profit partner for their upcoming Women in Beer event, which will be held on March 30th! And we connected with ERIS Brewery and Cider House co-owner, Michelle Foik, who recently sat down with WE to share her story on how she got into the cider industry. To read more about Michelle, visit https://bit.ly/3XXTM4D.
WE hopes to have the opportunity to work with Cider Summit Chicago for many years to come!
Advocacy Council Meeting
Women Employed’s Advocacy Council is an informed group of volunteers who organize and advocate to advance WE’s goals of expanding educational and employment opportunities for America’s working women. Advocacy Council members are from diverse backgrounds with a strong commitment to women’s issues and social change with a range of skills and interests including leadership, marketing, organizing, and fundraising.
At our February 21st gathering the group heard timely legislative updates out of Springfield from WE’s Senior Coalition Manager, Starr De Los Santos, took action to advance WE’s fundraising efforts around The Working Lunch, and learned more about The Pattis Family Foundation Summer Leadership Program from new WE staff member and program alum, Efrata Sasahulih, Programs and Research Coordinator.
We’d love to see you at an upcoming meeting! Learn more about the Advocacy Council and register for our March 22 meeting, here: March 22nd Advocacy Council Meeting.
Don’t miss out on the next event! Be sure to visit the events page on our website so you can be kept in loop about where Women Employed is going next and how you can be involved.
