Women of Courage: Create the Vision
By: Amanda Trang Kieu

“Women of Courage: Create the Vision” was this year’s theme at the 17th Annual International Women’s Day Luncheon.  Hundreds gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center on March 6, 2008 to honor the resilient spirit of women around the world. The event promotes the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and it provides educational scholarships to re-entry women interested in furthering their education.
 
The luncheon began with an extraordinary presentation of the International Parade of Flags.  With help of volunteers from the International Women’s Day Steering Committee, the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission and Florence Crittenton residents showcased flags representing a number of countries from all over the world.  Many women proudly wore their country’s traditional gowns.

This luncheon not only commemorates the endless effort that women go through to fight and find an end to gender discrimination, it also provides an opportunity to help other women get themselves back on their feet.  In the past, they raised over $700,000 with an estimated amount of $170,000 raised this year alone.  These funds have been used for women who seek to further their college education through scholarships.  The event co-chairs, Sue Glawe and Kristine Hedlund presented a moving documentary of past scholarship recipients. Through the documentary, the audience witnessed all the good achieved because of the International Women’s Day scholarship fund.  The women portrayed were able to accomplish their educational dreams and have a chance at a better life.

The focal point of the luncheon was the keynote address delivered by Dr. Martha Beck.  An author of several books, a magazine columnist for O: The Oprah Magazine, and a contributing editor for Redbook and Mademoiselle, Beck has been referred to as one of the best-known life coaches in America.  She has appeared regularly on “Good Morning America” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as an expert on life design.  Beck’s speech was compelling and inspirational.  She spoke about life’s defeats and triumphs as a single-mother of a special-needs child.  Beck also developed a passion for South Africa, where she adopted The Learning Center at Londolozi.  “A lifetime of personal challenge is pretty much a definition of the human experience.”  Her life experiences gave the audience a feeling of empowerment.  As women, we all have come a long way and there is nothing that can stand in the way of our wants and desires.  Before concluding her speech, she invited the audience to find their “north star”.  In doing this, we will find our life’s destination, in what really makes us happy and bring us to our absolute peace.  Dr. Martha Beck’s new book titled, Steering By Starlight, will be out this May.

Asian Chamber of Commerce is honored to attend this wonderful luncheon annually.  There were many individuals that touched our hearts in different ways.  We would like to thank the Phoenix Women’s Commission for inviting us.  Everyone had a wonderful time and we were happy to a part of the celebration.