March 9, 2005

Expo wows area women

WOW Expo features 15 civic, social, and special interest groups

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       "As women, we have to stick together and support each other."
      For the 85 attendees at the Web of Women Expo - WOW for short - sticking together was an overarching theme of the day.
      Gathering at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center Saturday, the women learned, laughed and listened while networking and learning about 15 area organizations. The Women's History Project of Northwest Michigan sponsored the WOW Expo with a goal of informing and inspiring area women.
      "Because most of them [attending organizations] are women driven, I think it's really important that we support women in whatever projects and missions they are doing," concluded Jane Watts of Traverse City, who represented the League of Women Voters at the event.
      The Heritage Center's main room was filled with tables from a range civic, social and special interest groups; all expo participants were non-profits except the Cheery Cherry Chatterbox Red Hat Society. More than 50 volunteers helped at the WOW Expo, most from participating organization staffing their booths in shifts.
      Organizations on hand included the United Way Volunteer Center, Quota International, Business & Professional Women, Munson Health Care Library, the Girl Scouts and Citizens for Better Care. The Benzie Area Women's History Project was also on hand.
      The range of presenters intrigued Lucile Bagley Cummins of Old Mission Peninsula.
      "It's marvelous, I've been around one time and I'm going around again," she said of the circle of 15 information tables. "I take all the information home with me and read it because you can't absorb it all at once."
      Ceceilia Huebner of Onekema drove more than an hour one way to check out the WOW Expo. She said this event had a political feel that contrasted with a previous women's conference she had attended in Grand Rapids, which focused much more on makeovers.
      "I work in the Red Cross, that's one of the things I do although that's not just for women," she said.
      Downstairs, the conference offered sessions on art, writing, yoga and a nurturing, healthy diet, averaging 15 attendees per class. Libby Robold, who taught the yoga class, had attendees complete numerous poses from their chairs, a mini-yoga workout accessible to busy women.
      Shirley Murray attended the WOW Expo for two reasons: she volunteered at the American Association for University Women table in the morning and then gave a presentation on "Express Yourself Through Writing" in the afternoon. After asking about the dozen attendees' journaling experience, Murray described her writing history and the overall philosophy of memoirs.
      "When you write about yourself, you get a second chance at life," said Murray, who also teaches writing at Northwestern Michigan College's Extended Education Service program. "Sometimes we have opportunities when we're older to think about periods of our life that were especially meaningful and reflect on them."
      "You owe it to your family and your friends to get down all these stories," she added.
      The Women's History Project of Northwest Michigan formed in 2000 and this is the group's first foray into formal conferences. In the mind of Ann Swaney, chair of the event, the day was a success, a chance for the organization to experiment and branch out.
      "It's not history per se, but these women are making history every day and by providing that direction," she said. "We're collecting the names of women who were involved to provide a snapshot of time in our history, because we so appreciate the people ten, 20 and 30 years ago who left some kind of written guidepost for us to go by."