By admin, February 02nd, 2010
The greatest thing about being involved in the Combining Our Strength™ initiative is the opportunity to meet amazing women from all corners of the province. In the last couple of months we have been lucky enough to travel to a number of different communities to support our programs.
Prince George On January 19th, we were fortunate enough to be invited to attend a Community Circle session in Prince George. Toni Carlton, COS Council member and Circle Facilitator, welcomed us into her home where we feasted on delicious homemade chili and engaged in great conversation with women from Prince George. They have some great ideas for expanding Minerva’s reach in Prince George. Stay tuned for that!
New Aiyansh The Nisga’a women in New Aiyansh welcomed us into the territory of the Nisga’a Nation to hold a Minerva Helping Women Work™ COS program in January. The participants were really engaged as they learned more about themselves (through a visioning and values exercise and MBTI workshop) and learned some new job search skills (including resume and cover letter writing and interview skills). Thanks for letting us be a part of your lives ladies!
Fort Nelson In December, we ran a Minerva Helping Women Work™ COS program in Fort Nelson. We had an amazing turnout and a heartwarming welcome from the women at the Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society. We met some really inspiring women and saw some great friends. We are really excited about attending the Fort Nelson Women’s Weekend on February 5 – 6th. More to come!
Courtney Daws and Lisa Tallio
Filed under: Minerva's life — No comments
By admin, January 26th, 2010
On February 12th, 2010, the first day of the XXI Olympic Games, Chastity Davis, Combining Our Strength™ (COS) Council member, carried the Olympic torch on behalf of the Minerva Foundation and Bell!
Chastity is a proud member of the Tla’amin Nation located in beautiful Powell River, BC. While holding down a demanding job as a Key Accountant Manager, Aboriginal Sector, at BC Hydro, Chastity still finds time to volunteer with Minerva as a member of the COS Council, as Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee for Learning to Lead™ COS, and as Co-Chair of the Curriculum Committee for Learning to Lead™ COS. Through her volunteer work, this remarkable woman donates hundreds of hours for the purpose of empowering Aboriginal women to lead and helping to bring Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women together to help build stronger communities.
We at the Minerva Foundation are so proud to call Chastity our friend, and we are honoured to have her as a beautiful Minerva woman.
Filed under: Volunteering — No comments
By admin, January 18th, 2010
2009 was a difficult year for me. After a few months of looking for a job without any luck, I decided to apply for a volunteer position at Minerva Foundation.
At that moment I didn’t know anything about this organization. I talked with a nice lady called Astrid about the position of Office Assistant, but when she saw my resume and found out that I was a Graphic Designer she asked me why I wanted to work as an Office Assistant instead of a Graphic Designer? I mentioned to her that had been very difficult for me to find a job as a Graphic Designer, and I wanted to try something new. “Well, actually we need the help of a Graphic Designer to work with us because we are updating our image, website, and the newsletter” –she said- “would you like to help us with those projects?” I said –“yes”-
During this time I was able to help them complete the website as well as the newsletter; moreover, to show them my abilities and my skills. Also I learned more about Minerva Foundation and their programs to help women get back on their feet. In addition, I learned that they might be able to help me to get back to my profession through Minerva Helping Women Work program.
Definitely working under a volunteer position helped me to see the other side of the coin, and get back to the possibility of fulfilling my career expectations in life trough my Graphic Design skills.
>>>Elena Chavez was born in Mexico City. She attended the Metropolitan Autonoma University. In 1992 she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and Communication. Since then she has worked as a freelance designer. In 1997 she immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. There she went to Bodwell Internet School and completed a Web Page Graphic Design Certificate. One year later she completed her diploma in Multimedia Studies from the University of British Columbia. >>>
Elena Chavez
Email: elena.chavez.c@gmail.com
www.elenachavezdesigner.com
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By admin, November 27th, 2009
Congratulations to TELUS on being named most outstanding philanthropic corporation in the world by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)! TELUS is the first Canadian company to ever receive this global honor. The Minerva Foundation for BC Women is honoured to be one of the many deserving charities that receive support from TELUS, and we greatly appreciate the support and commitment from all their wonderful staff in the last 10 years.
Carrie-Ann, Resource Development Coordinator
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By trish, October 27th, 2009
We held our 4th annual “Women in…” luncheon this week to celebrate the role of women in strengthening our communities. It was, as always, a huge success. Nearly 500 people were in attendance to help honour Kim Osborne, Trish Chung and Karen Barnaby, this year’s award recipients, for their contributions to the food industry in BC.
The fundraising luncheon, co-presented by Deloitte & Touche and RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel, was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.
The mission of the Minerva Foundation is to inspire and empower women and girls to reach their full potential by creating opportunities and offering programs through trusted partnerships in the areas of education, leadership development, economic security, and safety. Women who share the Minerva vision, are at work throughout the province, making a significant difference in their communities.
The “Women In Food” series provides us with a platform to recognize these inspirational women. Every year we honour three women in a specific field for their life-long contribution to creating stronger communities
through leadership, collaboration and philanthropy. This year we are recognizing the outstanding contributions of women in the area of food.
Women’s work and women’s lives have long been intertwined with food.However, their role has progressed far beyond the scope of the kitchen table.Food is a powerful catalyst to sharing and connecting with others, as well as
sustaining life itself. This connection between women and food, along with the international renown and cultural diversity of BC’s food industry, has fostered a multitude of opportunities for BC women. Whether in the areas
of entrepreneurship, education, community development and outreach, we can feel empowered, united and motivated through food.
Julia Kim, Chair, Minerva Board of Directors
Filed under: Women who lead — No comments
