Members of the community join founders TeWinkel and Bokor Caron outside the Capitol Theatre in Chatham. (Photo courtesy of @sunicreativeco / sunicreative.com)

A full-day event designed to inspire, empower and educate local women is coming to Chatham this summer.

The event called “SheLeads” will be held at the Capitol Theatre on July 8.

The day will include a keynote presentation led by local entrepreneur Stephanie Simmons, followed by 24 breakout workshops hosted in various women-owned businesses in downtown Chatham. The event will conclude with a fashion show featuring styles provided by local retailers.

Local residents Dr. Erin TeWinkel and Randi Bokor Caron were inspired to co-found the event together after both moving back to Chatham-Kent after years of living in larger cities.

“While living in Toronto, we had the opportunity to attend a number of inspiring and empowering women’s events, and it got us thinking that the community of Chatham-Kent could benefit from something similar,” said TeWinkel in a news release. “Since moving back to CK in 2020, we realized how many amazing women are in this community, and we knew if we could bring these women together, we could really move mountains.”

The recommended ticket price to attend SheLeads is $20, however, to ensure any woman can attend, the cost is “pay-what-you-can”.

Any additional proceeds raised during the event will support the JoLynn Deprez Athletic Fund which is managed by the Chatham Kent Community Foundation.

For more information, click here.