YWCA to honour women of distinction
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on March 6, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com Friday marks International Women’s Day and with it the return of the YWCA Lethbridge and District Women of Distinction Awards ceremony where four women will be recognized this year.YWCA Lethbridge and District CEO Jill Young said she is very excited to once again witness women in the community get recognized during the event Friday.
“We are so excited for another year of Women of Distinction. We have been able to have these awards for several decades now and we have another slate of exceptional women that we will be recognizing this year for their accomplishments in the community,” said Young.
This year’s recipients are Dawn Sugimoto in the Community Leadership and Enhancement category, Trudi Mason in the Education and Mentorship category, Kamryn Sandberg in the Young Woman of Promise and Mandy DeCecco-Kolebaba in the Leadership and Empowerment category.
Young said it is extremely important to recognize women in the community and even more to do so during International Women’s Day.
“We emphasize that we hold our Women of Distinction events on International Women’s Day because international Women’s Day is a global celebration of women’s achievements and a call to action for gender equality,” said Young.
 She explained that an event where local women get recognized is therefore the perfect way to celebrate International Women’s Day.
“It’s an opportunity on this evening to celebrate, to have open dialogue, for women to share experiences, stories, insights and fostering that sense of solidarity and empowerment,” said Young.
She said the event also showcases achievements of women from diverse backgrounds sending a strong message that success knows no gender or ethnicity.
 “We want to celebrate that richness that diversity brings to our community and promoting a more inclusive society going forward,” said Young.
She explained that each year the selection process highlights the different categories where women are recognized based on the type of applications they receive and which categories they have nominations for.
When it comes to the evening schedule, Young said they will have some entertainment that is women-centred to welcome this year’s recipients, previous winners and members of the community who would like to support and celebrate them.
“Historically, we have always seen our previous Women of Distinction winners come out and support the new recipients, so it’s always exciting to have those previous recipients in the audience and they can help celebrate those achievements and accomplishments for the new winners,” said Young.
The event will take place Friday at the Coast Hotel Grand Ballroom with a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m. and dinner and program taking place 7 to 9 p.m. 3
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