International Women’s Day event hopes to raise $10K for three local charities

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A pair of Fort St. John friends hope to raise $10,000 for three local charities through an International Women’s Day event. 

The event has been scheduled for March 8th at the Lido Theatre from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and doors open at 12 p.m. 

Edwina Nearhood, co-planner for the event, told Energeticcity.ca she and her friend were disappointed when they could not find any events in Fort St. John last year for International Women’s Day. 

Nearhood said: “I wanted to take action, so I said, ‘well, let’s plan one for next year.’”

The theme for this event, she said, is “giving to gain.” 

She said: “The underlying theme is women sharing knowledge through storytelling and building resiliency. There will also be some holistic wellness sessions as well.”

Nearhood will also be sharing her own story of going blind after a heart transplant at the event as well. 

“I’ll be telling my story of how I navigated adjusting to blindness post-transplant and a few other curve balls life has thrown me, but I’ve come out on the other side of it better than ever,” she said. 

Foundry Fort St. John, Love on a Mama Bursary and Better at Home have been selected as charity partners for this event, funds raised will be split equally between the organizations. 

Nearhood shared: “We chose three separate ones just to make sure that we covered all generations of women in the community. 

“So each one of [these] has some significance that supports our community in a great way.” 

Another underlying theme of the event is to build community. 

She said: “Fort St. John is such an amazing community. When there’s a need, the community comes together.” 

Nearhood fears that during Covid-19, younger people may have lost that ability. 

“We want to cross those bridges and build networks for all generations to be able to support one another,” she said. 

While Nearhood is still accepting sponsors to be able to cover the costs, she said: “To date, we’ve got some gift baskets from the Hair Bin,  two weekend passes to the Energetic County Fair and [a] group breath work class [as well].” 

Additionally, the event will also feature a small silent auction. 

Although tickets for the event are free, Nearhood is asking people to make a donation at the door. With the minimum $10 donation, attendees will be entered into a draw to win door prizes. 

Tickets for the event will be available on The Lido’s website in due course.

To be a sponsor for the event, contact Edwina Nearhood by email at edwina.nearhood@gmail.com or by phone on 250-793-0320