Speakers set for International Women’s Day coffee March 3

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The portrait, "Many Different Women," was painted by Olesya D. Maupin, a Kazakh artist who attended Perry's first International Women's Day celebration in 2018.

Carol Jackson-Cavanaugh

Among the dearest possessions Carol Jackson-Cavanaugh brought back with her from eight years of living in Kazakhstan was her yearly habit of celebrating International Women’s Day every March 8.

“International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s contributions to our lives and society,” Jackson-Cavanaugh said. “After having a coffee at my house last year to celebrate, I decided it would be interesting to put something together this year that involved the wider community.”

International Women’s Day is marked around the world every year on March 8, but since March 8 falls on a Thursday this year, Jackson-Cavanaugh decided to host a celebratory coffee Saturday, March 3 from 10 a.m. until noon at La Poste.

“After playfully tossing around the idea of inviting Melinda Gates as a guest speaker,” Jackson-Cavanaugh said, “I decided to settle for five very interesting and intelligent women friends of mine. They all have ties to Perry.”

Vivii Shirley

Five notable local women will speak at the coffee event, which is free and open to the public. Longtime teacher and former Perry mayor Vivii Shirley will give a talk entitled, “A Women’s Life in Estonia, Sweden and America.”

Janie Meyers, an independent entrepreneur from rural Redfield and a close friend of Jackson-Cavanaugh, will speak about “The Daffodil Principle.”

Nancy Collins

Perry native Nancy Collins, owner of a small business in Iowa City and an active missionary, will deliver remarks about “Managing a Business and Mission Work.”

Heather Watson

Heather Watson of Perry, a Drake University graduate and mother of three who works at Zion Recovery Services, will share her thoughts on the topic, “Overcoming Adversity.”

Ann Connors

Iowa City dentist and one of the original Ladies of La Poste Ann Conners will discuss “Women in Leadership Roles.”

According to the International Women’s Day website, “International Women’s Day is powered by the collective efforts of all. Collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women’s Day successful. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained, ‘The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.’ So make International Women’s Day your day, and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.”

Charity sponsors of International Women’s Day include the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and Catalyst. Corporate sponsor include Vodafone, Caterpillar and MetLife.

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