The Women's Business Center of Fayetteville at the Center for Economic Empowerment and Development is hosting a week of events to celebrate women in the community from March 7-11.

For the first time in Fayetteville, the community is coming together for #HERFayetteville and #HERWeek.

The mission of #HERFayetteville is to empower and develop women through education, networking, mentoring, and partnerships, and to promote opportunities for women throughout Fayetteville. #HERFayeytteville will focus on heart, equality, and resilience, celebrating International Women's Day and Women's History Month. 

"#HERFayetteville and #HERWeek are taking ownership of women's voices in Fayetteville," said Caitlin Chastain, a business consultant at WBCFay. "There are many women empowerment missions and opportunities to uplift each other, and it's wonderful, and we will continue to do that."

Each day will consist of virtual and/or in-person events. The list of events include: 

March 7: #HERFayetteville kick-off brunch with special guest speaker Secretary Elaine Marshall 

March 8: #HERStory

March 9: #HERHealth

March 10: #HERPitch business competition

March 11: #HerBusiness

The #HERPitch business competition will be hosted in the AEVEX Veterans Lounge at Segra Stadium, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of Fayetteville professionals. Center for Economic Empowerment and Development Capital and the City of Fayetteville Community Development will grant up to $10,000 in prizes to those with the best pitch.

The competition is open to men and women with qualifications of their pitch pertaining to serving Fayetteville and women in some way. 

"This is a community-wide initiative to celebrate women in our community and empower them, and to brag about their successes," explained Chastain. "It is easy to uplift other women, but as a woman, we have been told don't be too egotistical or take up too much space, and this is just a great opportunity for women to break out of that and tell their own story." 

To learn more, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/herweek-fayetteville-march-7-11-2022-tickets-261897090247?aff=erelexpmlt.