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2020 promises to be a year of impact and excitement
at The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women.
Plans are taking shape for the annual Waves of Change luncheon, our major fundraiser which has become a signature event in Tampa. This year we plan to hold the event in May. Coming soon a major announcement about the 2020 recipient of the Helen Gordon Davis Women's Leadership Award. The Waves committee will also be convening this month to select our local honoree.
Plans are also moving forward for our 29
th
Annual Gourmet Feastival. This year it will be at Higgins Hall in Tampa on August 20
th
. It is always our most delicious event. So, mark your calendars. You won't want to miss it.
These two fundraisers help to make our programs and services possible.
This year also marks the 100
th
Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote. As a history major in college, I was always intrigued about the Suffragist movement, but did not realize how complex and multi-layered it was. I failed to recognize that it was not until 1965 that Black women were given the right vote and Florida did not ratify the 19
th
Amendment until 1964.
Amazing to think about. The fight for the vote seems to parallel the battle for Equal Rights. Times have changed, but apparently some still fear the notion that women would be treated equally under the constitution. Others simply believe women are already included. Florida lags behind other states in ratifying the ERA. The anti-ERA group tries to make it complicated. However, the Equal Rights Amendment is quite simple. It states that
equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Women's organizations throughout Florida including The Centre for Women are working together to rally support for the ERA hoping to make Florida the 39th State to ratify it. The Athena Society of Florida has created a website filled with facts and information. Be informed and engaged in this bipartisan effort. Check out ERAratifyFL.com.
Cheers,
Ann
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The Centre for Women's Board of Directors
Elects 2020 Officers
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Board of Directors Retreat
The 2020 Board Retreat was held at the beautiful conference room at Visit Tampa Offices. Cristina Liriano of Moffitt facilitated the Agile training program for The Centre's Board of Directors.
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Key Leadership Promotions Announced
Sartura Shuman Smith,
who was Program Director of the Centre for Girls, has been tapped to lead the Centre's workforce development program, Tampa Bay Works for Women.
A native of Tampa, Ms. Smith is well known in the community and has spent most of her career in the nonprofit sector, having served as Director of Education and Outreach at WEDU before joining the United Way to direct Women's Leadership Programs.
She joined The Centre for Women five years ago and built a thriving afterschool enrichment program at The Centre for Girls.
"Her ability to innovate and create programs to empower women combined with her passion for helping people made her the ideal candidate to lead Tampa Bay Works for Women," said Executive Director Ann W. Madsen.
Since the inception of The Centre for Women, the 42-year-old nonprofit has provided soft skills training to help women to prepare for and find jobs. Tampa Bay Works for Women is an evolution of that core program. It includes three components: essential skills training for employment; an accredited program to help women to learn the construction trades and a new initiative to prepare women for work in the 21st
Century.
Iris Thurman joined The Centre for Women as an instructor in BizGirls Program for young entrepreneurs at The Centre for Girls. She then joined the staff full time as a program coordinator. Ms. Thurman has been promoted to Director of The Centre for Girls. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Ms. Thurman is an author, certified professional life coach, motivational speaker and youth development strategist. A native of Miami, she relocated to Tampa with her mother and siblings at age 11. She is the mother of four sons and holds an BA in Business Management, an MBA in HealthCare Management from University of Phoenix and a Life Coaching Certification from MTI. She worked in the HealthCare industry for 15 plus years. She is extremely passionate about the social and emotional development of young people as well as peer-to-peer mentorship, women enhancement coaching, and a host of give back initiatives.
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The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women is making history and preserving history at the same time.
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation in Syracuse has awarded a first- of-a-kind grant in Florida to The Centre for Women. The grant provides funds to put an Historic Preservation Marker at our beautiful headquarters at 305 S. Hyde Park Ave. It is the first such marker in Florida. The headquarters, the former Thomas Carson Taliaferro House, received its place on the National Historic Register in 1974. The circa 1895 house was the home of Thomas Taliaferro and his wife Stella. In 1883, Mr. Taliaferro traveled by horse and wagon to Tampa to open the city's first bank, the Bank of Tampa which later became the First National Bank of Tampa. In 1977, it was purchased from local businessman Paul T. Ward by Helen and Gene Davis along with some supporters of The Women's Survival Centre which is now known at The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women. Helen persuaded her husband to co-sign a loan for the property because women were not allowed to sign a mortgage on their own in the seventies.
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NBC Today Show plans to highlight Women Building Futures Program.
Our Women Building Futures Program, which provides accredited training for women who want to the learn the construction trades, has caught the attention of NBC's Today Show. They plan to create a digital story capturing our next class of trainees. The Centre for Women launched this unique program five years ago and since then 130 women have graduated from the program. The Centre partnered with the National Centre for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to teach a 15-week curriculum. Upon completion, the women earn the coveted NCCER "Blue Card" and OSHA 10 certification. Plans are now on the drafting board for a spring session of Women Building Futures. Stay tuned. We have already started a waiting list for participants.
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Verizon check presentation photo for Centre for Girls.
THANK YOU, VERIZON FOUNDATION!
Iris Thuman, front left, new Program Director of the Centre for Girls, was thrilled to accept a $10,000 check from the Verizon Foundation. Verizon representatives Debanie Montgomery, second from left, and Courtney Barnard attended the Centre's Board meeting to present the check. The gift was made possible through the efforts of Genia Wilbourn, Senior Vice President of Verizon (not pictured) and Sartura Shuman Smith, front row right, Director of Tampa Bay Works for Women. Also pictured are Board members Greta Bennett, Natalie Thomas, Darlene Hester, Patty Soltis and Ashley Nessler along with the Centre's Executive Director Ann W. Madsen.
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The Centre for Girls new Program Coordinator Alexis Contreras is working on an "I Have A Dream Project". This project requires the participants to add a goal/dream on a hand-cut out and post on the wall. Once posted the participant will do a presentation of why their dream is important to them and others. Followed by their presentation Alexis has created a PowerPoint that identifies how Black History Month started.
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Synapse Summit
Ann W. Madsen, Executive Director, attended the Synapse Summit this week. Billionaire businesswoman Sara Blakely, creator of Spanx, offered inspiring advice for entrepreneurs. Thanks to Kelly Wilson, CEO & Publisher of
Edge Business Magazine
,
for inviting The Centre for Women.
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Edge Business Magazine Launch Party
for their Not-for-Profit Issue
It was a wonderful evening to celebrate the New Year Not-for-Profit Issue of
Tampa Bay Works for Women was in attendance.
Left Photo: (l-r)Traci Holt, Pilot Bank; Sartura Shuman Smith; Eboni Cruz, City of Tampa and others. Right Photo: (l-r) Jodi Avery, KellerWilliams Realty; Pilot Bank Associates with Sartura Shuman Smith of The Centre for Women.
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Tampa Bay Works for Women teams up with Microsoft
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Grandparents Celebration Gala
Sartura Shuman Smith, Director of Tampa Bay Works was a speaker at the
8th Annual Grandparents Celebration Gala sponsored by
Children With a Vision, Inc. More than 600 people attended at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, FL.
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A vision board is a powerful tool that helps you invest time and energy to visualize your future. Let us help you find your vision for the New Year.
Thursday, Feb. 27th | 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Register Today! Space is Limited! Registration closes February 24, 2020
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Please remember The Centre for Women, Inc.
in your will.
If you have already, please let us know.
Contact Ann W. Madsen, Executive Director
at 813-210-9705 or amadsen@thecentre.org
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