More than 100 women attended the fourth annual celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) in Perry Saturday morning at La Poste, the first staging of the event since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
Carol Cavanaugh of Perry, who founded the local event, served as the event’s mistress of ceremonies. She briefly recounted her organization of the first International Women’s Day celebration in Perry and explained the theme of the 2023 celebration: Embrace Equity.
Pat (Bryan) Girton, 94, of Ames was then joined by her niece, Pat McPherson of Perry, to reflect on the joys of a rural upbringing in the Bouton and La Porte City areas. Their dialogue was followed by McPherson and her cousin, Shannon Bryan of Jamaica, leading the audience in singing the Crosby, Stills and Nash classic, “Teach Your Children.”
Four World Link Inc. exchange students were then introduced by World Link Inc. host mother Alli Johnson, who said the World Link program is supported by the U.S Department of State and is committed to fostering mutual understanding between people in the U.S. and other countries through educational and cultural programs.
The four World Link exchange students extending their IWD greetings to the crowd were Yelyzaveta Yaryshkina, 16, of Ukraine; Iryna Hodun, 18, of Ukraine; Lyudmyia Shapovalova, 18, of Ukraine; and Natali Tuniashvili, 17, of Georgia. Shapovalova spoke movingly about the tragic course of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Patti Naylor of rural Churdan, one of the scheduled speakers, was unfortunately unable to attend, but the mother-daughter team of Monica Peitz of Perry and Louise Alitz of Des Moines delivered highly informative talks.
Peitz is a retired licensed independent social worker with a 17-year career in nursing
home facilities, and Alitz is an elder rights specialist at Aging Resources of Central
Iowa. They discussed advances in the care and protection of Iowa’s aging population.
Sisters Cheri Tice Scheib of Perry and Nancy Tice of Perry drew the names of the lucky winners of the dozen door prizes. Tice Scheib noted that 65 businesses in Perry are owned by woman and many of the businesses owned by men are managed by women.
Music at the fourth annual IWD celebration was provided by the Perry High School Treble Clef Choir, led by PHS Vocal Music Director Jenn Nelson. Treble Clef Choir members include Sandra Alvayero-Ramirez, Emmalee Bell, Olivia Christiansen, Ava Devilbiss-Sholley, Kimberly Flores, Shaelynn Fiddler, Theo Fisher-Kern, Mallory Grant, Kaylee Jay, Oneida Hernandez, Joi Hoffman, Candace Hoisington, Maddy Hollingsworth, Sarai Jaimes, Christina Kanealy, Adanna Milbourn, Delaney Miller, Emma Nance, Alexa Nelson, Brooke Nelson, Natalee Newhouse, Addison Richardson, Ashley Robles, Aaliyah Spitler, Cheyenne
Milbourn, Hanna Sucher and Payton Zander.
The choir closed the program with a rousing rendition of the Dino Fekaris and Frederick J. Perren disco classic, “I Will Survive,” popularized in 1978 by Gloria Gaynor. The lyrics include the passage:
Go on now, go. Walk out the door.
Just turn around now
‘Cause you’re not welcome anymore.
Weren’t you the one who tried to break me with goodbye?
You think I’d crumble?
You think I’d lay down and die?
Oh no, not I. I will survive.
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive.
I’ve got all my life to live,
And I’ve got all my love to give, and I’ll survive.
I will survive.
