There is no doubt the world we live in has changed due to the impacts of Covid-19, and women, in particular, have endured a lengthy year of juggling jobs with children at home. That’s why the PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise is hosting a virtual event on Thursday, May 6, Re: Imagine 2021, celebrating women entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals alike. The day-long event will feature several guest speakers including comedian, actress, and mental health advocate Mary Walsh from the hit television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
This is the centre’s second virtual event and is a full day affair with workshops, inspiring guest speakers, networking opportunities, and a one-of-a-kind pop-up virtual market. The PARO Awards Gala will take place in the evening, honouring women in business, and recognizing their achievements over the past year, pivoting their businesses through a pandemic.
The PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise is celebrating 26 years in operation and provides micro-loans and Peer Lending Circles for female entrepreneurs while providing grant opportunities, mentorship, and education. There are over 170 Paro-circles in Ontario, including new circles recently formed in Bradford and Innisfil. In previous years, the organization has hosted in-person gala events to honour women in business but due to Covid restrictions, the centre was forced to move the annual event online.
“We’ve been busier than ever,” notes Kayla Soomer, business counsellor and event coordinator for the PARO Centre. “The goal is to support and help women. When the pandemic hit, more people and businesses needed support… so we provide business planning, grants and loans, and help women connect with other like-minded businesswomen while providing ‘recovery support’ to help businesses stay open.”
Soomer adds the PARO Centre has been working hard over the last year helping businesses ‘reinvent’ themselves in a Covid-world, including her own photo booth business which took a hit this year.
“It’s tough for people but they do have options,” notes Soomer, who switched to a virtual photo booth and digital memory sharing software. “We’re reimagining our businesses and how we connect with other women in business.”
The event’s virtual market will also feature virtual ‘purses’ that have been filled with items donated from local businesses to be auctioned off as part of a fundraiser for the centre. Funds raised from the purse-auction will support the PARO circle micro-funding.
“People can bid on these ‘virtual purses’ and the person donating the prizes will have a connection to the winner of the bid,” explains Linda Cryderman, a business growth advisor and volunteer with PARO. “This is a trial year, but it’s a start! A start in the right direction…”
Entertainment will also be provided during the gala, including singing, dancing, and music from select performers, as well as remarks from Rosalind Lockyer, founder and chief executive officer at PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise.
For more information or to register for this event, visit: here or contact: [email protected]
To donate items for the virtual 'purses', visit: here.
