KWBWA Holiday Party

• December 4, 2023

We enjoyed our Annual Christmas get together. It was great to mingle with everyone.

Thank you to everyone that made it out and contributed to our charitable donation to @kwhumanesociety!

With our combined cash donations, we purchased 31 items!

• 2 bags of litter
• 3 cartons of cat milk replacement
• 13 cat toys
• 2 dog toys
• 1 large bag of dog liver treats
• 2 rolls of vet bandage
• 8 rabbit toys and treats!

Thank-you Rachelle Garcia for coordinating the gifts for our furry friends at the Humane Society and the generousity of our members!

Guest Speaker

• November 23, 2023

We welcomed Daniellea Joworski from The VisibelleCEO as our guest speaker.

Danielle talked to us about barriers that may hold us back from fulfilling our dreams and being the best version of ourselves and how to overcome those barriers. It was very informative and enlightening.

She is a Digital Presence & Visibility Coach for Female Entrepreneurs 40+ and Founder of The VisibelleCEO™. Danielle Joworski's failure to be visible is why she does what she does today. Her mission is to help female founders and entrepreneurs conquer their fears of being visible so they accelerate their business growth and impact. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband and kids with 2 and 4 legs.

Thank you, Danielle!

We have one more lunch in 2023. If you would like to join us and connect with local female professionals, send us a message!

Guest Speaker

• November 9, 2023

This week's guest speaker spoke about the use of art in helping our mental health.

Our speaker was Desarée Rosskopf Public Programs Coordinator at KWAG from @kwartgallery. Desarée spoke about overwhelm, burnout and stress to a group of working women who could relate and she shared a number of programs that they offer.

One of their Art and Wellness programs is called Refill in which they do mindfulness exercises and offer team building activities.

On a personal note: She is not only a lover of teaching the arts, Desarée also has a Master of Arts in History from Western University, specializing in Military History and Collective Memory. Her research discusses the ways in which Canada's military experience has been shaped and reshaped over time. She is a recipient of the 2018 Government of Canada History Award and the 2017 Juno Beach Centre Fellowship.

Guest Speaker

• October 26, 2023

Today we heard from Peter Stuart, Chief of Education at Grand Valley Institute for Women. Peter talked to us about the importance of providing education to inmates.

Did you know that a female inmate that gets post secondary education has up to 100% chance of not reoffending? Educating inmates improves their mental health and their self esteem. For female inmates, the government saves about $10 for every $1 spent on education. But the federal government no longer pays for inmate education because it costs too much... :O(

CONGRATULATIONS to Karen Savage and Marie Wolf on being 'winners' in the Waterloo Region Record Readers' Choice Awards 2023!

• Karen Savage - Heffner Lexus Toyota
  Best Auto Salesperson (Diamond)
• Marie Wolfe - Promyse Home Care
  Home Health Care(Diamond), Foot Care Clinic (Diamond), Family Business (Platinum), Medical / Health Services (Platinum)

Guest Speaker

• October 12, 2023

Today’s guest speaker had quite an impact on our members.

Our speaker was Courtney Waterfall from Shelter Movers Southwestern Ontario Shelter Movers. It is a free moving and storage service that assists victims fleeing abuse. Their goal is to remove any and all barriers that prevent victims from leaving their abuser.

Shelter Movers is the only service of its kind in Canada and is not provincially funded. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please connect with them.

Visit their website www.sheltermovers.com/southwesternontario, or FACEBOOK

Bi-weekly Networking Lunch

• September 28, 2023

What a fantastic networking lunch today at Charcoal Steakhouse!

Everyone was asked to bring a piece of advice or business tip, and we went around the table sharing our tip.

We heard everything from public speaking tips (thank you Robin Farrell), how to clean tarnished sterling silver jewelry (thank you Buy Moore Jewelry), great advice for healthy relationships (excellent quote Nicole Willemsen Hacock) and even the best weapon to carry in a zombie apocalypse (it’s a machete. Thank you Kendra Allen).

This is such an amazing group of women!

If you would like to join us for our next meeting, just shoot us a message!

First Meeting 2023/2024

• September 14, 2023

What a great first meeting back at Charcoal Steakhouse!

Our new President, Kristin Moore led the meeting, and we all got to catch up after a summer break.

We had two potential members join us today, one from Grand River Opera who treated us to a sneak peek of her upcoming show!

If you would like to join us for our next meeting, just shoot us a message!

Past President Message

• July 5, 2023

I wanted to thank each and every one of you for being part of my journey as President over the last two years. It has been such an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth. You were all so encouraging, uplifting and supportive, which always pushed me to work harder.

With the awesome team in both years, we held on through the pandemic, which was only possible because our members are a strong group of women that see the value of this association. We listened to your feedback last year and adjusted our model so that everyone could recover from the financial hardships that the pandemic brought, while still being supported by the association and its members.

I'm most excited about the potential of our new project, "Mingling With Members" (the video interviews). I think this project brings great potential to add value to your membership and promote our members. With this project, and through my new role of Marketing and Social Media, I will continue to find ways to highlight the skills and accomplishments of each of you.

Congratulations to Kristin Moore on taking on the role of President for 23/24. Kristin is one of the most resilient women I've ever met, and incredibly talented. I'm confident that Kristin will carry the association forward and continue our progress.

Thank you again to everyone. It has been a great pleasure. I look forward to working with the new Board and see you all in September. Have a fantastic summer!
Rachelle

Last Networking Lunch for 2022/2023

• June 15, 2023

Today we had our final networking lunch at Charcoal Steakhouse before we take a break for summer and we welcomed our Board of Directors for 23/24.

For the outgoing President, the members gave a beautiful handmade card from member, Sylvie Stamps and a lovely engraved bracelet from member, Buy Moore Jewelry.

We look forward to gathering again in September!

If you’d like to join our group in September, please contact us!

Bi-weekly Networking Lunch

• June 1, 2023

We were keeping cool while networking at lunch today. @thecharcoalsteakhouse.

Members shared about their businesses and gave testimonials on those whose services we have used.

Shout outs to Karen @karensavage.heffners and Shanna from @gingersnaps.ca.

These two ladies have a passion for their business and it shows in the professionalism of how they do their job.

So many great things to be shared! If you’d like to join our group, contact us!

Rogers Women of the Year Presentation

• May 26, 2023

The KWBWA is proud to have been a supporter of the Group Achievement Award at last night's Rogers Women of the Year #kwo_woy. Our association was nominated for that same category last year. Our President, Rachelle Garcia, presented the award to to the winner in our sponsored category (Group Achievement)) to the Community Support Connections’ Exercise Team, who promote health and exercise to seniors in our community.

We were happy to attend and cheer on our member Delia Simu, who was nominated in the Health and Wellness category.

Robin and PJ, morning hosts of Country 106.7, hosted the event. Robin Farrell is one of our members.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees. We have such a wealth of hard working, generous women in our region!

Out of the Box Luncheon

• May 18, 2023

What an awesome day for the KWBWA!

First we met the dynamic duo from Country 106.7, Robin Farrell and PJ out front. Next we were treated to a delicious Fat Sparrow Group lunch, courtesy of the management team at Rogers. We toured the studios, stopping in to chat on The Mike Farwell Show, and watched the master in action Mark Paine On-Air, and met Emily Szabo and Ryan Gosse.

Thank you to the entire Rogers team for making it such a fun and memorable Out of the Box Luncheon!

Bi-weekly Networking Lunch

• May 4, 2023

At our bi-weekly networking lunch, we heard from our members! Arbonne consultant Mary-Lou Lang brought a sample of the new tinted sun protection, Shanna Koetsier owner of GingerSnaps talked to us about organizing photos, digital or printed, Kendra Allen, Group Travel specialist updated us on things to be aware of for anyone booking a trip this summer and Kristin Moore owner of Buy Moore Jewelry brought samples of the plants she has been using to make silver jewelry with!

So many great things to be shared! If you’d like to join our group, contact us!

Guest Speaker

• April 20, 2023

Shari Goldstein, of 100+ Women Who Care Waterloo Region, spoke to our group at today's meeting. The concept is simple: members commit to donate $100 four times a year to benefit local charities. This idea is one that boasts 650 chapters worldwide.

This is the 10 year anniversary for 100+ Women Who Care Waterloo Region.

Visit their website, 100womenwhocarewaterlooregion.com for more information.

Did You Know?

• April 20, 2023

Our very own Delia Simu has been nominated for the Health and Wellness Category in the Women of the Year Awards! Congrats Delia, we are very proud of you and the work you do!

KWBWA is also a sponsor of the event in the category of Group Achievement! How appropriate for our group to show support of other groups in our community!

The event will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2023 - Doors open at 6pm - Awards begin at 7:30pm.

Guest Speaker

• April 6, 2023

Joshua Rhab a Detective Constable from the Fraud department of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, spoke at our lunch meeting. He presented common scams and how we can be aware and protect ourselves.

Some of the tips that he gave us are:

• Always verify the email address or web address that is sending you information
• Don't be too quick to click!
  (Stop and think before you click links)
• You can't win a prize in a contest that you didn't enter!
• Your personal information is invaluable for fraudsters (date of birth, name, address...)
• The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is a great site to visit. They collect information on fraud and identity theft. They provide information on past and current scams affecting Canadians.
• If you think you're a victim of fraud, report it!!

The online world changes rapidly. Fraudsters make websites and messages that can seem legit.
Be cautious.

Thank you so much Detective Rhab for enlightening us and answering our questions.

Member Talk

• March 9, 2023

Today, at our #networking lunch we had the pleaure of hearing from Delia Simu Hom., RBIE, IMG and her son, Dr Michael Simu who recently joined her practice at lovinghealth.

They told us all about the services they can offer as a shared practice. If you’d like to take a natural approach to a health concern, give them a call (519-581-7111) to book an appointment. Delia has helped many members and their families and we’re all looking forward to working with Michael as well!

Member Talk

• March 2, 2023

The KWBWA enjoyed hearing Andie Cartwright's entrepreneurial journey today. Starting with selling lemonade as a child, Andie has reinvented herself with a variety of businesses. After she made a decision to focus on her health, and the passing of her husband, Andie pivoted to become certified as a nutritionist and personal trainer.

As someone who has struggled with dieting and disordered eating, Andie connects with her clients and is able to coach from her own experience and struggles.

We thank Andie for sharing her story of persistence, strength and adaptability with us today.

New Member Talk

• January 26, 2023

Shanna Koetsier spoke to us about creating custom photo books, converting photos to digital copies and organizing boxes of photographs. It was interesting to hear how she can organize a client's photos from a variety of sources, like flash drives and phones, to one digital location.

She stressed following the 3-2-1 storage source idea: have 3 copies (phone, hard drive and cloud), use 2 media and 1 off site source.

There was much discussion among the group. Memory keeping has changed in our lifetime. Most of used have baby books and boxes of photos from our own childhoods.

If the thought of sorting all of your photographs or reducing your digital clutter seems overwhelming, then contact Shanna at GingerSnaps. She has some online courses and offers a variety of packages for her services!

Member Talk

• January 12, 2023

Today, Jenn Hanna talked to us about her 20 year journey with RBC and the different roles she held on her way to becoming a Mortgage Specialist.

She definitely has a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to get approved in this crazy market.

Member Talk

• January 12, 2023

Tina has been in the food industry for many years, and has proven to be tenacious and resilient as an entrepreneur and the ups and downs she has had to manage. After being forced to close the doors to her takeout restaurant during covid, Tina regrouped and partnered with industry experts to find a way to fight back. She is now working with a major grocery chain to get her delicious frozen meals into stores.

We can't wait to support Tina as she grows her new business, but also...to eat her food!😋

Member Interview

• January 9, 2023

January 9 is International Choreographers Day. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight KWBWA member, Kristin Werner, owner of Star Performance Academy!

We asked Kristin a few questions about her journey as a choreographer and dancer.

KWBWA: What skills have you learned as a dancer that make you a good choreographer?
KW: Studying as many styles as possible that were accessible to me in my youth as a dancer, gave me a broader selection of movements to use and tell a strong story. Additionally, my education in various acting styles helped me to understand how to connect storytelling to dance movements so these movements have the potential to speak to an audience. And finally having a strong understanding of music theory has also helped me to hear music and connect it to movement qualities, staging and group work to hopefully create a stronger piece. In my genres, I only have 2-3 minutes usually to make an impact, so the more detail I can bring to each second, the more I can communicate in a clear and meaningful way.

KWBWA: A performer is struggling to learn the routine. How do you proceed?
KW: The first big question is, "Why?". A struggle can come from a challenge in coordination, in translating the movement from what they see to what they feel in their own body. It can be really difficult sometimes. A struggle can also be emotional. It is so easy to doubt oneself, to feel discomfort in portraying certain emotions, or to do something new and out of one's comfort zone. So I like to first try and talk about it, and move on from the results of what we discover together. Communication is key, followed by breaking down the challenge into smaller, more manageable parts. It's my favourite thing, to watch a dancer break some of these barriers!

KWBWA: What have been the greatest challenges in your dance/choreography career?
KW: I would have to bring up Covid for this! We practiced socially distanced choreography which meant that so many of our human movements, group work, partnering...even hand-holding, were off limits as we navigated the safety protocols through the pandemic. The silver lining was how much we appreciated the return of our normal ways of moving and communicating through dance. You can see it in the dancers.

KWBWA: Who are your favorite dancers, and who are the dancers that most influenced you and your dancing? This goes both for dancers you are simply inspired by, as well as dancers you have studied with.
KW: My teacher growing up, Ms. Deardra Leslie (a former member of the KWBWA) always tried to think outside the box, which I think is so important for art to keep breaking into new territory. She will remain a big inspiration for me in this regard. I love and appreciate so many dancers and choreographers from many eras, but today I'll mention Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Gregory Hines and Michelle Dorrance. I also am always inspired by the choreography of my students when they get to work on pieces of their own.

KWBWA: Any special moment or memorable experience in your dancing career till date that you would like to share with us?
KW: I have to mention dancing with my sister, Lori. We did tap duets as we grew up dancing together. Those are special memories for me, dancing locally, and for Team Canada. Dancing with a sibling is so awesome because you have this connection. The unison for tap is easier and you already know what the other is thinking, which got us through a few challenges on the stage! If those songs come on, we just look at eachother and the memories come flooding back!

Thank you, Kristin, for being a valued member of the community and the KWBWA!

To check out the dance styles that Kristin offers, check out www.starperformanceacademy.com or give them a call at 519-886-8600.