2nd annual Célébrez la Femme empowerment summit prep
SALISBURY, Md. – During this Women’s History Month, the second annual Célébrez la Femme Empowerment Summit will take place.
Saturday, March 22nd, women from across Delmarva are gathering to create opportunities for personal development, career advancement, and interpersonal impact.
Following a widely successful first year, officials say they have high hopes for 2025.”This year we wanted to take things up a notch by creating the power playbook, and that is a play on just giving women the tools to continue building those relationships, continuing to pursue those goals,” says Founder and President of the organization, Ashlee Laughlin.
Célébrez la Femme is a young but mighty organization, that was created to celebrate and empower women. Once again, multiple organizations and women are joining forces to share, support, and power up for this year. “I think women are mothers, they are friends, they are community members, they are sisters, they take care of others. So, it’s important for us to make sure we are telling our stories in bigger, authentic selves,” says Dr. Deb Casey, President of Wor-Wic Community College and one of the many speakers for the event.
The event will be filled with speakers, local leaders, vendors, and entrepreneurs ready to not only celebrate and empower women, but empower the community as a whole. “That’s what I’m most excited about, is to be able to share my story, share my journey, and hopefully inspire others, and things that they do as well,” says Kimberly Purvis, Dean of Student Success at Wor-Wic CC, and speaker. Fellow speaker, and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement at Wor-Wic CC, Dr. Deirdra Johnson adds, “It’s an opportunity for us to spend the day being unapologetically ourselves to embrace who we are, to uplift who we are, and to encourage each other to form a bond of sisterhood among the ladies that will be in attendance.”
Topics focused on at the summit include wellness, kindness and collaboration, vulnerability and sisterhood, all of which are a part of the true mission behind Célébrez la Femme as an organization. “I think the women leaders who have started this organization have an opportunity to create deep roots that are going to have a ripple effect on young girls, on young women, and women in general,” says Dr. Casey.
Speakers range from local college and university leaders, health professionals, authors, and experienced life coaches. Dr. Johnson says she hopes to, “Share my story, listen to their stories, how we can make Wicomico County a better community to live in, and as well as influence young women that are coming up in their professional careers.” While Dr. Purvis goes on to explain, “It’s really important that we network together. I think it’s important that we support various organizations, but I think it’s most important to show up and support each other.”
With returning leaders from last year’s summit, and a hope for a brighter future for women in the community, leaders say this event will continue to support
and push women to find their rightful place in whatever industry they work for. “It’s not just people who are already in business, but it’s people who are looking to level up their career, people are looking to level up their life, need to be able to find local mentors,” says Dr. Amy Stewart, CEO of Night Watch Childcare Center. Laughlin adds, “We want to get them comfortable with sitting down with leadership and asking for what they want and asking for the mentorship that they deserve.”
After the event, Dr. Stewart will host a free event for moms who attend the summit, called a moms’ night out. It’s powered by Night Watch Childcare where Célébrez la Femme moms can network, relax, and enjoy themselves for a night.
The event is Saturday, March 22nd from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Library at Salisbury University in the Guerrieri Academic Commons.
For tickets, and more information, visit the CLF website.
