Last month contained many events that celebrated women across the globe. The first week was Women in Construction week, highlighting women that work in all facets of the construction industry. Across South Florida, breakfast meetings and luncheons were popping up with women comprising the entirety of panel discussions. (Link to CEA blog) As President of the Construction Executive’s Association, I helped plan a speaking program for our March meeting led by female leaders in the construction industry.
The JTI Gems kicked off March working alongside each other with a Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build. It was an amazing day of sweat, sawdust, paint splatters, and camaraderie. A few of us worked on adding framing to the entire perimeter of a home, measuring, cutting, and installing each plank of wood. Another group focused on painting the trim of the exterior of another home. We had an absolute blast and appreciate all of you who contributed to this build! We’d love for people from our network to join us on the next build. Please let us know if you’re interested in being a part of a future Women’s Build!
March 8th was International Women’s Day and we celebrated it at JTI with a baby shower for Jaclyn, my business partner, and a first-time mommy-to-be of a baby boy. The JTI gems gathered with vendors to celebrate Jaclyn and shower her with love, presents, and loads of diapers! Our favors for guests were cute little mirrors, reminding them of their importance to others.
The following week on March 14th, Jaclyn and I attended a CREW luncheon where we learned about the female pioneers that made waves to make Fort Lauderdale what it is today. Did you know that the first piece of property in Broward was owned by a woman? Her name was Frankee Lewis and given her name, she was assumed to be a man until documents that dispelled this information were discovered. We also learned about the life of Mary Brickell, a savvy businesswoman in the development of South Florida and the mother of eight children! Her legacy stands today as she is the namesake for the financial hub of Miami and a street that runs through Fort Lauderdale’s downtown.
We ended the month in a very special way, celebrating women that are true warriors. JTI sponsored the inaugural BreastRest South Florida alongside our marketing partner, Alison South Florida. Six young breast cancer survivors were pampered, loved on, and encouraged at a retreat led by none other than the Boobie Queen herself, Whitney O’Connor. It was an amazing weekend of camaraderie and community and we’re excited to start planning the next one! We appreciate each and every contributor either in financial ways or in-kind donations. We couldn’t have done this without you!