In May, multiple Together Women Rise chapters in Delaware hosted a special event for members to build comraderie within and between chapters and to grow Rise. Our Volunteer Manager, Kia Hunter, recently spoke with one of the event planners, Yvette Drazich (Chapter Leader of DE, Newark -1) about this experience.

Kia: Hello, Yvette! Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me about your recent Together Women Rise event. I would love to start by asking what inspired you to host a multi-chapter event?  

Yvette: The impetus was a chance meeting between Moira Donoghue (DE, Wilmington – 1 chapter) and myself in the halls of the University of Delaware. We were in the elevator crossing paths. She is a previous Chapter Leader and I am a current Chapter Leader, and we had both known Peggy Smith. Peggy was the founder of my chapter (DE, Newark – 1) – the first in Delaware – and pretty much helped create every subsequent chapter in Delaware. She was a dynamo and had all these amazing ideas. She unfortunately passed away in 2021. Moira and I started talking about Peggy and how she used to do all these great things to bring people together like movie nights and recruitment events. We also talked about how inspired we were by Beverley Francis-Gibson (Together Women Rise’s CEO) and her speech at the 20th anniversary event we went to last year in Philadelphia. Moira said, “Let’s have a multiple chapter event, are you in?” And I said, “If you’re in, I’m in!” and we went from there.  

Kia: Wow, this all happened because of a chance meeting … and the inspiration of two amazing women, Peggy and Beverley. So what was the planning like? How did you get started?  

Yvette: Moira got in touch with me to start the planning and we both brought in some more members to make this happen. I brought in Terri Morin from my chapter and she brought in Cheryl Hodge from her chapter, so we basically had two chapters planning the event for all of Delaware. We knew getting buy-in from the members was important, so we spent a lot of time drafting an email that would go out to Chapter Leaders to inspire them to participate. It was difficult to find the right tone, but we had a deadline – time was of the essence – so we had to get it out.  

Kia: And what was the response from the Chapter Leaders? 

Yvette: It was pretty well-received. A lot of people were pretty hungry for an event like this. Going through COVID, the loss of Peggy, and not having these types of events anymore. We had more people offer to get involved, and we created a few committees: agenda/program, decorations, food, etc. The planning started in February and our event was in May. It was a lot of work, but it ended up being a very well-planned event.  

Kia: So tell me about the event. What were some highlights?  

Yvette: We had about 65 people attend, including some guests. Beverley Francis-Gibson, Together Women Rise’s CEO, joined us, and she was such a dynamic and electrifying speaker. Just being in a room with 65 Rise women is ultra-stimulating. Rise women are just cool, they are doers and shakers, they are caring and compassionate. So it was just electrifying to have that all in one room. Our goal for the event was twofold: build camaraderie within and between chapters, and grow Rise. As I mentioned earlier, we were inspired by Beverley’s words at the 20th anniversary event in Philadelphia, so the goal was very clear from the beginning.  

The event started with a social meet-and-greet with wine and cheese, followed by a group photo. We then started the program with a speech by Beverley and a sit-down dinner. We had asked Chapter Leaders to bring main dishes to share and other members to bring sides, so it was potluck style. We shared Rise’s values and mission statements and also had a presentation on the Featured Grantee of the month. Beverley also hosted a small Q&A at the end, and we asked members to brainstorm ideas on how to grow Rise nationally. We tried to keep it to two and a half hours.  

Kia: What a great event! Do you have any final thoughts you want to share? 

Yvette: My biggest takeaway from Beverley’s talk was when she said we are all ambassadors for Together Women Rise!  Being in a room of 65 Rise women is electrifying – they are passionate and compassionate, dynamic, interesting, “get it done” type of women. Our post-event goals are that we want to start two new chapters in Delaware and that we need to strengthen two faltering chapters. Our work is not done!  

A few other quotes from attendees: 

Elaine Butterfoss: “I think Beverley’s enthusiasm and passion spoke volumes to our attendees and that her understanding of the complexities of solving problems of gender equality are critically important for the future of Rise. She is the perfect leader to move us forward.”

Terri Morrin: “I am on the board of a local non-profit, so I know the other side. Beverley was a dynamic speaker. I love that she visits the grantees in person on trips, as then our organization’s grant is very personal to them. We are not just giving them money, we care about them and they are heard!”

Jill Nigro: “My friend, Yvette, spent many hours planning this and made it special with table decorations and a full sit-down meal. I helped in bringing in flowers from my garden. I was surprised at how happy I felt that I could have the opportunity to do what I love on a large scale. I liked that and each one was upbeat and we worked as a team.”

Jo Anne Deshon: “I was so impressed that Beverley made the trip to DE! I appreciated her passion. I think getting younger members is what Rise needs. Would love to see chapters sprout in high schools or college campuses. I loved meeting new people from other parts of the state. It’s a small world because I actually reconnected with a woman who I had met when I was in high school!”

Anyone can host a multi-chapter gathering, but we are also in the process of recruiting our Community Connector volunteers, who will specifically work facilitate and plan these types of events. If you are inspired by Delaware’s event and want to get more involved, we encourage you to complete an Interest Form to become a Community Connector for Together Women Rise!