Clean out that closet & make room for post-pandemic NEW things! In keeping with Mother's Day on May 9th, Colorado Women's Day (May 7) is collecting gently-used or new handbags, jewelry, scarves, umbrellas, etc. for several different charities to help raise the spirits of disadvantaged women and in-need students. You can either bring these items with you to Colorado Women's Day at Baldoria on the Water in Lakewood - click https://coloradowomensdaymay7.eventbrite.com/ to make a reservation. 

OR drop them off at IX Power Clean Water in Golden on Monday - Wednesday, May 3rd - 5th. To donate items if you cannot attend, contact Haley@ixwater.com or call IX Power at 303-277-9520.

BREAKING NEWS!  The keynote speaker for Colorado Women's Day on May 7 will be JO PACKHAM!

Jo Packham, currently the creator/Editor-in-Chief of best-selling magazines: WHERE WOMEN CREATE — Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women; WHERE WOMEN COOK , The Heart & Soul of Cooking; WHERE WOMEN WORK, A Passion for Success; and her newest publication: WHAT WOMEN CREATE, Inspiration for Your Imagination, has been a leading innovator in the handmade publishing market for more than 35 years.   Learn more about Jo.

Colorado Women's Day on May 7 will also feature

BETSY WIERSMA

Founder of the CampExperience^_TM Network, Betsy is a serial social entrepreneur, artist and maker, marketing evangelist, podcaster, expert convener, author, community organizer, strategic philanthropist, and relentless cheerleader, Betsy has fun and thought-provoking activities planned for Colorado Women's Day!   Learn more about Betsy.

Colorado Women's Day has participated in International Women's Day for six years.  Learn what other groups around the world are doing by visiting the IWD website.

Our Keynote Speaker for March 6, 2020 was:

Heidi Ganahl dealt with adversity early in her life when she lost her husband in a plane crash, but her entrepreneurial spirit helped her pick herself up and found Camp Bow Wow, a $100 million leader in the pet and franchise industry hitting the Inc 500/5000 list 5 years in a row. For this effort, she has received many accolades including Fortune Magazine’s Top 10 Most Promising Entrepreneurs, and the 2016 Colorado Brave Leader Award. 

After selling Camp Bow Wow a few years ago, Heidi dedicated herself to “giving back.”  She was elected in a state-wide race to the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado and is on several other boards focusing on entrepreneurship and education.  She also founded the Fight Back Foundation, an incubator built to support social entrepreneurs that want to tackle the most pressing societal issues confronting kids today, and just launched her new lifestyle brand for millennial and Gen Z women, the SheFactor. 

Heidi is married to one of the top BBQ cooks in the country and has four children ranging in age from 7 to 24.

Heidi's "SheFactor" books will be available for purchase. Get her to sign yours!

Heidi is also featured in the Winter 2019-2020 issue of Where Women Work.  

Our Keynote Speaker was:  Colorado's Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera!

Colorado's Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera was the perfect keynote speaker for the 4th Annual Jeffco International Women's Day. In 2019 we are focused on women's health, and Ms. Primavera has comprehensive knowledge and personal experience in this area.

Dianne is a leading patient advocate who has spent three decades fighting for every Coloradan’s access to quality, affordable health care. She was great!

Why are the IX Power Foundation and IX Power Clean Water involved in International Women's Day?

Water and the treatment of Women (and other disadvantaged peoples) - they are at the intersection of the world's most pressing issues.  The IX Power companies have dedicated their corporate missions to helping improve the future of both.

Here's one part of the situation to start putting the whole picture in perspective!

In 80% of households without close access to water, the responsibility falls on women and girls

to fetch and carry it. Around the world, females spend 200 million hours per day getting and water for their households. In poorer nations, they walk an average of nearly four miles per day

for it. The time and energy used to access clean water perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Hours

spent retrieving water means hours not working or studying. A study in Tanzania showed a

12% increase in attendance when water could be found within 15 minutes of more remote

villages.

A further concern is the danger involved. In areas like Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and the border between Afghanistan and Iran, water is not only a source of discord, it is dangerous for women to make the trek to water sources each day. In addition to potential conflict between factions, there are risks of physical or sexual assault. Fetching water may, in fact, be truly dangerous. There is also the physical toll of carrying water. Jerry cans are used, each of which holds an average of five gallons and weighs 40 pounds. Women most often carry those containers on their heads, leading to serious injury to neck and spine, made worse when carried by young girls.

There are organizations that are trying to help these women. Concern Worldwide is one. They have a program that builds wells and boreholes in remote areas. They also ship water to areas stricken by drought. There are also a number of organizations that focus on bringing water

closer to impoverished areas. Information about those can be found here: https://www.classy.org/blog/nonprofits-address-global-water-crisis/