Windsor-Essex celebrates International Women’s Day

Nearly 200 women gathered in LaSalle Wednesday evening for an annual charitable gala in honour of International Women’s Day.

Hosted by local charity In Honour of the Ones We Love, the gala raises money for various programs for adults and kids and shines a spotlight on local women, three of whom were honoured at the event.

Honorees include Sandra Crevier, owner of The Barbers Chair, Danielle Wellings-Carriere, owner/operator at ONESource Moving Solutions Windsor-Essex, and Gemma Badalamenti, a French immersion teacher with the Greater Essex County District School Board.

While the charity’s founder Anita Imperioli could not attend this year, her granddaughter said she’s quite the remarkable woman herself.

“I am very proud of her,” Angelina Caviedes said. “She has a lot of great accomplishments. I want to be just like her when I’m older.”

Cavides said that’s the purpose of the gala – recognizing the accomplishments of women across Windsor-Essex.

It’s what International Women’s Day is all about, with a host of events taking place across the region throughout the day.

In the morning, WindsorEssex Community Foundation announced $280,000 in donations to nine organizations in the area leading initiatives to support women, girls, two-spirit, and gender-diverse individuals.

“We know the pandemic has hurt women disproportionately,” said Lisa Kolody, Executive Director of the Foundation.

She said the help handed out Wednesday will go a long way.

“Not only are we helping the staff and the leadership in these organizations, we're helping the clients they serve,” Kolody added.

And in the afternoon, ScotiaBank partnered with Shopper’s Drug Mart and Estetica Day Spa to drop a huge donation off at the UHC Hub of Opportunities.

Boxes and boxes of menstrual product, with sights set on ending period poverty.

Local businesses dropped off a large donation of menstrual products to the UHC Hub of Opportunities on March 8, 2023. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)

"It's going to mean a lot to many that access our food bank,” said UHC CEO and Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association President June Muir.

“We don't get a lot of hygiene products donated. So today is a 'win-win' and we're really happy to receive this big donation,” said Muir.