We are thrilled to announce the keynote speaker of our annual breakfast on Thursday, September 26, 2024. We will celebrate our 2024-2025 PWN Scholarship recipients and hear from the captivating, Clarissa Chun, Head Coach of the University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling program.
Special thank yous to Van Meter, Keynote Speaker Sponsor, as well as Mount Mercy Graduate Center for being the Breakfast Sponsor.
Reserve your seat for this special event here.
Join us on May 23rd for an engaging and empowering luncheon dedicated to exploring the intersection of mental health and womanhood. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we are thrilled to host an event that highlights the unique challenges and triumphs women face in managing their mental well-being.
Our first speaker is Laura Janssen; she brings a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to the table. As a board member at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), she offers invaluable insights into navigating the complexities of mental health. Through her own journey, she will share candidly about the hurdles she has overcome and the strategies she has employed to foster resilience and wellness.
The next speaker is Sydney Carpintero, Youth Services Coordinator for the Mobile Crisis Outreach (MCO) Program at Foundation 2. She will be sharing resources and valuable information about what to do if you know someone may be struggling with their mental health and how to help.
During this interactive session, participants will have the opportunity to:
In addition to our speakers’ presentations, this luncheon provides a unique networking opportunity for women from within our community to connect, share experiences, and forge meaningful connections. Whether you’re a seasoned professional, an entrepreneur, or a student, this event promises to inspire, educate, and empower you on your journey to holistic well-being.
What a joy it was to have our October meeting hosted at Van Meter! Danielle Monthei and the VMI First Impressions Team were so welcoming and kind.
Danielle is the Community Impact Specialist at Van Meter Inc. as well as the VP of Operations with Junior League of Cedar Rapids and is very passionate about helping Iowa’s foster care youth.
Our keynote speaker for the meeting was, Laticia Aossey, Statewide Coordinator for Iowa’s foster care youth council, known as AMP. AMP assists young people to become advocates for themselves and gives them a voice to impact child welfare policies and practices. Through supportive, productive partnerships with adults, youth speak out to make foster care more responsive and effective. AMP’s motto is “Nothing about us, without us”.
Laticia has dedicated her life to overcoming the statistics and stereotypes placed on foster kids. She spent a total of ten years in Iowa’s foster care system which included moving 18 times and switching schools fourteen times. Laticia defeated the odds by graduating high school early and going on independent living at age seventeen, then participating in Iowa’s Aftercare program. She is a firestorm who is passionate about guiding young people onto their next step into adulthood.
After we heard from Laticia about the program, Danielle came back up and facilitated conversation and questions for Laticia. It was magical to hear the questions and conversations that were brought up by the luncheon attendees. Some of these include…
Our October luncheon was such a special experience for everyone who attended. If you would like to sign up to learn about upcoming events or needs that AMP may have, please send an email to: laossey@foundation2.org.
Our Director of Operations (aka Chief Entertainment Officer), Ann Roushar, was invited to share why our group is so awesome on KCRG’s new morning show Everyday Iowa in early October. Check out the interview.
We hope you enjoyed our 2023 breakfast celebration!
Although we don’t have everything all set for our annual celebration…we DO KNOW that it will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2024!
Send an email to Ann Roushar to save your seat for next year!!
We have all heard the phrase ‘You are what you eat.’ What’s fascinating is that this truth goes much deeper than food. The reality is that our lives are created and led by the choices we make, the people we surround ourselves with, and what we think about.
The wonderful world of science has been researching the human brain for years. Our brains have many electrical pathways called neural pathways. Any event or action in your life will create a pathway. Think of these pathways as RUTS in the road. Your tires will be drawn to follow the ruts in the road, right? Your mind is the same way. Once you create a pathway or rut in your brain, your thoughts will follow that path. Unfortunately, if you experienced trauma, something sad or something negative, then your mind will follow the same pattern. I know you can think of someone in your life right now that seems negative all the time. Or the friend that constantly has bad things happen to them. These are the ruts in action. What about your friend that always seems upbeat and the friend that seems to get lucky in life? These are the result of pathways created inside their brain that have shaped their lives.
Now let’s get to the good news. You can create your own narrative. What type of person do you want to be? What type of life do you want to lead? I don’t know about you, but back-to-school prep makes me think about fresh starts. It’s a time to re-evaluate my goals and create patterns in my life that align with who I want to be. What kind of ruts do I have and what ruts am I creating?
Taking ACTION is the way to create your new pathway. There is nothing “fake” about faking it until you make it. It’s time to decide who you want to be. Just start doing it and you’ll see that the world is your oyster.
CHEERS to my fellow women (and men) creating new neural pathways to achieve your goals and dreams.
We are officially gearing up for our 2023 PWN Breakfast Celebration, which is taking place on Thursday, September 28th from 7:30 am – 9:30 am at the National Czech and Slovak Museum.
This annual event is to celebrate some incredible women in the community. The PWN Scholarship Foundation is a nonprofit entity of Women Helping Women. Each year we provide monetary scholarships to local nontraditional students who plan to complete their undergraduate educations and we will acknowledge these amazing women during breakfast.
We are currently looking for sponsor partners who believe in women pursuing their education goals and would like to help us celebrate them!
This year we have not ONE but TWO amazing speakers! This dynamic duo is going to make the attendees feel uplifted and energized!
Sarah Cronk, and Sydney Reickhoff started their entrepreneurial dreams at the ages of 14 and 15!
Sarah is the founder of Generation Spirit, a national nonprofit dedicated to breaking down barriers between young people with and without disabilities. In addition to her work with Generation Spirit, Sarah is a nationally recognized writer and speaker whose work has been featured in People Magazine, on CNN, in the New York Times, and on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Sydney is the 24-year-old CEO of Almost Famous Popcorn Company, a gourmet popcorn brand she co-founded at 14 years old. Almost Famous Popcorn is an Iowa-based company with a nationwide presence. Sydney is a graduate of Stanford University. She highlights her experiences as a young woman in business through a personal brand called The Popcorneur, with the aim of inspiring other women and young people to pursue their dreams.
If you would like to be a sponsor partner this year, please direct comments and questions to Ann Roushar.
Our speakers for August and September are extraordinary women in our community!
Learn more about them, here!
May is mental health awareness month. Many people assume this is just in reference to psychological disorders, however, mental health includes our emotional, social well-being, and our psychological health. Just like physical health, we all experience mental unhealth in a spectrum of ways.
But let’s chat about our psychological health, specifically mental health disorders. There are four main mental health illnesses that include mood (depression), anxiety, personality, and psychotic disorders. Women are more prone to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Mental health disorders have carried a stigma for many men and women. Historically, those with an illness are seen as weak, crazy, and just need to “suck it up.” However, this viewpoint is harmful and thankfully individuals’ perceptions have started to change.
Living with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or any other mental health illness does not diminish you as a woman, a mother, or as a person. I am living with anxiety and depression and have struggled with my self-image. When I started working in corporate America after being in the non-profit sector, I was paralyzed with thoughts of not being enough. How was I going to be seen as a professional woman when I battle anxiety and bouts of depression that make it hard for me to function?
It’s okay to not be okay. It is okay to take medicine and to see a therapist. It is okay to protect yourself and your mental health. Simone Biles made headlines when she withdrew from the Olympics to protect her mental well-being. I am living with anxiety and depression. I am a suicide loss survivor. I am a champion and a voice for all individuals living with mental health illnesses.
If you are struggling, please seek support. You are not alone. Our community has many resources for all.
Local resources:
Foundation 2: Crisis Line 1-855-800-1239
NAMI of Linn County – https://namilinncounty.org/
NAMI of Johnson County – https://namijc.org/
Thank you to Diane Smith, Vice President, PWN for being a mental health advocate in our community.
Did you know that Stress Awareness has its own month—and we’re in it?
What a coincidence, this has been a really stressful month for me. Work is busy, school is busy, home is busy… and it’s tax time… so maybe that’s why the National Institutes of Health identify April as Stress Awareness Month.
Are you aware of your stress?
I know I am. And I’m pretty sure everyone in my house is aware of it, too. But what do we do about it?
First of all, what kind of stress are we dealing with?
If my mind won’t shut down at night mulling over the meeting with my accountant, that’s situational stress. But when I get out of bed to distract my mind only to find myself endlessly scrolling and then worrying about not getting any sleep, that’s what experts call cascading stress. We’ve all been there. It’s when we stay there stressing over one thing after another for days and weeks on end that it becomes a problem.
Chronic stress is common in our modern world and leads to a host of physical, emotional, and mental problems. It can increase heart disease risk, cause digestive issues, and lead to chronic headaches, backaches, and fibromyalgia, to name a few. It leads to depression, anxiety, and burnout. Who needs that?
The best thing to do is stop it before it becomes chronic.
Consider the source: Identify whether the source of your stress is situational and temporary, like an Easter dinner at your house this year, or an external situation that is out of your control, like world peace. At some point, you must let go of what you cannot control. For most of us, it is a non-stop succession of situational stressors related to career, family, finances, health issues, and aging parents that lead to a chronic condition. But once you know what’s causing the stress you can take steps to manage and reduce it.
Effective stress management requires ongoing effort and some experimentation. Remember that what works for one person may not work for another. Try some different techniques until you find what works best for you.
Thank you to LeeAnn Eddins, PWN Board Member for sharing these helpful tips.
