Recap: 2021 BWT Member Virtual Holiday Social
Before we jump in here, this was my very FIRST Bringing Women Together event. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was all sorts of nervous as I have never had the pleasure of meeting the majority of the women in the group yet. On top of all of that, I was very mindful that I’d also be writing a blog post on the event after. No pressure. But all of that aside, I was extremely excited to meet and to be around, albeit virtually, such strong women.
The event started with a short welcome led by Governance Primes Erin Fawcett (TELUS) and Allison Blackler (KPMG) who surprised everyone by announcing BWT’s first-ever Volunteer of the Year Award. Congratulations to the winner’s Carmen Wu (Ledcor) and Janna Meneghello (TELUS) and to the amazing nominees Ashley Chen, Winnie Lai-Fong, Jessica Li, and Kimberly Theoric who have been instrumental in helping navigate BWT during a very different year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new award will be announced annually at the end of each year.
Next, we were introduced to the lovely, Laurie Heang. She is the founder of The Heart Company, a family-owned gift shop that specializes in floral and local artisan handcrafts. I love her DIY kits, which Laurie mentioned would make a great addition to girls’ night in! For more information, head over to her website at www.theheartcompany.ca or via Instagram, @theheartcompany604.
Laurie guided the group through a fun tutorial on how to create our own holiday centerpieces. Let me tell you, Laurie made it look so easy but for some of us, it seemed harder than it looked. She was a great teacher and gave us helpful tips on how to achieve the perfect piece to wow our friends and family. Afterward, the group showed off their skills and made one another proud with their beautiful creations! Laurie encourages utilizing the resources around you, like tree trimmings, holly (my neighborhood has an endless amount!), and even branches. Below are a couple of the centerpieces made during the tutorial.
For the rest of the event, we spent time getting to know one another in different break rooms à la Zoom. It was evident in the conversations being had how passionate everyone was about Bringing Women Together, being a Mentee turned Mentor, and everything in between. It was nice to finally be able to put a face to a name in some cases, to get to know one another and to share tips, experiences, and support for the year to come.
