Watch Women In Business Awards online and four other things you can Zoom this week

In recognition of International Women’s Day, The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual Women In Business Celebration on Monday, Mar. 8 starting at 11:30 a.m. EST. The event will be held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but board member and event moderator Gabrielle Sarlo is confident that it will still be a success. 

“Having an online event will allow more people to come and participate. We hope everyone will join us in celebrating International Women’s Day. We’ll be highlighting those in our community and their accomplishments, and discussing how far we can still go regarding equality in the workplace,” Sarlo said. “We will also announce and celebrate the ATHENA Leadership Award recipient during the event.”

The ATHENA Leadership Award, sponsored by Sault College, is awarded to a member in the community that has shown exceptional leadership qualities. 

“The award can go to a man or a woman who shows leadership qualities. If it goes to a male, it’s somebody who has really supported the advancement of women in the workplace and in the community,” said Rory Ring, CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce. “We want to ensure that we are promoting diversity. Women have been impacted more severely than men during the pandemic, so we’re really trying to create an open and welcoming community. The business environment benefits from that because better decisions are made when you have a more diverse team.”

The event will include a panel discussion featuring local business and professional women, from a variety of industries, who will share experiences, success stories and advice to help inspire and support businesswomen in Sault Ste. Marie.

The panel will be led by Jasmyn Rowley of Village Media/SooToday and will feature:

• Dr. Laura Stone, Sault Area Hospital emergency doctor
• Asima Vezina, president and vice chancellor Algoma University
• Gail O’Connor, entrepreneur and principal of River Rock Gifts and The Voyageur Lodge and Cookhouse
• Erica Hogan, entrepreneur and principal of Hogan’s Homestead

“I think it will be a great event. Things might look a little bit different, but the content will all be the same and we’ll still be able to gather together,” Sarlo said. “I’m excited to hear real stories from these women and learn from the experiences they’ve had over the past 12 months.”

The Women In Business celebration is open to anyone in the community who would like to join and will be $25+hst for Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce members and their employees, and $35+hst for non-members. All participants will receive a gift bag worth $50. Advance registration is required. The link to join the event will be sent to registered participants at the e-mail address(es) provided during registration approximately 24 hours in advance.

Despite the province slowly reopening and the Algoma region entering the Yellow zone, Saultites are still encouraged to continue following COVID-19 guidelines and stay home as much as possible. Many of us are staying inside and online now more than ever.

So each week, SooToday will share some of the virtual events taking place to help you make the most of these unprecedented times and have fun safely at home.

If you or someone you know is planning a local virtual event (concert, class, celebration, etc.), send the details to [email protected].

Other events taking place this week include:

Edible Cookie Dough Making Class

Mar. 4

Edible cookie dough is a treat for all ages. You can learn how to make your own with this free Facebook Live class hosted by Morgen and Bergen from One Hot Cookie. Use your own ingredients or just watch and comment along as they demonstrate how to make Doughlicious edible cookie dough. The Facebook Live class will start on Thursday, Mar. 4 at 6:30 p.m. EST. 

A Virtual Tour of South West Iceland 

Mar. 4

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Iceland, this virtual tour hosted by World Virtual Travel Live and Icelandic Roots could be for you. During the presentation, tour director Dustin Yuill will take you to all the wonders the bottom left corner of Iceland has to offer, from the Capital Region of Reykjavik, via the Golden Circle and round to the Blue Lagoon at the very end of the Island. You can take in the sights of glaciers, geysers, volcanoes, shifting tectonic plates, black sand beaches, and more. The virtual tour will be held on Thursday, Mar. 4 at 5 p.m. EST. 

Online Baking Workshop - Babka Two Ways (Chocolate and Cinnamon)

Mar. 7 

With this online baking workshop hosted by Shiela’s, you can learn how to make two types of Babka.

Babka, originally from Eastern Europe, is a sweet loaf with swirls of chocolate or cinnamon. Participants will be able to bake along or simply just watch as Shiela demonstrates step by step how to make the dough, the chocolate and cinnamon filling from scratch, assemble and bake the babkas. Recipe cards and Zoom information will be sent to participants 5 days before the workshop. The workshop will be held on Sunday, Mar. 7 at 1 p.m. EST and will be $45. There will be a 30 min - 1 hour break to wait for the dough to rise.

Free Acrylic Paint Night - Aurora Milky Way

Mar. 8

With this free beginner friendly paint night on Zoom, you can learn how to create a beautiful sky with crisp trees. Liesl from Artist’s Palette Durham Region will teach you step by step. You will need a canvas of any size or media art paper, primary paint colours, and black and white acrylic paints. A detailed brush size 0-2, medium flat size 4 or smaller and a large brush of any size (mop, round, philbert flat etc). The paint night will be on Monday, Mar. 8 at 7 p.m. EST. 

Have an event coming up? Add it to our Community Calendar here.

Did we miss something? E-mail us at [email protected].