Women’s Wisdom Forum sparks community

MARINETTE — Community is what women need.

Michell Hampton, director of financial development and community events at the Greater Marinette-Menominee YMCA and panel speaker at this year’s Women’s Wisdom Forum, said the community is vital to inclusion.

“I find comfort in what I’m doing when I find a community,” Hampton said. That’s where I thrive.”

Generations of people must come together and commit to promoting equality to help eliminate bias toward gender.

“It’s a constant, continual movement to work forward,” Hampton said. “And you need each other to do it.”

Johnson Controls, along with Fincantieri Marinette Marine and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay — Marinette Campus, are gearing up before International Women’s Day to host the Women’s Wisdom Forum on Thursday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Herbert L. Williams Theatre, 750 W. Bay Shore St., Marinette. The event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit hall will feature 15 local businesses and charities from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with refreshments, and a panel discussion in the theater from 7 to 8 p.m., with a raffle to follow.

Organizers are asking attendees to support the hygiene drive for the U.P. Foster Closet by bringing any hygiene items, including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and body wash.

International Women’s Day is on Friday, celebrating women’s achievements and equality socially, economically and culturally, said Cindy Falk, executive assistant at Johnson Controls and one of the event’s organizers. The theme of this year’s IWD event is “Inspire Inclusion.”

She said she wants attendees to walk away with a better understanding of what IWD is and how the movement can grow.

“‘Inspire Inclusion’ isn’t just about gender, it’s for everyone,” Falk said. “We all have something to offer for a variety of reasons.”

She also said we need to network.

“At the end of the day, once this rolls around every year — we all want to partake in this,” Falk said. “It’s yet another chance to network. It’s important for your career.”

Hampton said it’s hard to break into this community because it’s tight-knit. She aims to include people whenever she can and create groups.

“We don’t have those communities anymore, so how do we build those communities?” Hampton said.

Sally Van Eyck, owner of Yoga With Sally, is a vendor at this year’s event. She said she didn’t know about IWD before attending last year’s event.

“Finally, we’re starting to have more light shined on us as women,” Van Eyck said.

She’s been teaching yoga for years and has taught classes at the lighthouse, the beach, the park and special sunrise sessions.

Her latest venture is a yoga class collaboration with Inferno Fitness in Marinette. She said partnering with local businesses has given her a bigger platform.

“It’s paramount to having a business — being included in the community,” Van Eyck said. “If people weren’t so welcoming in the community, I wouldn’t be operating at all.”