HERWeek, hosted by NC CEED and the Women’s Business Center (WBC), is returning to Fayetteville for its annual celebration coinciding with International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Anchored on the values of Heart, Equality and Resilience, HERWeek is set to ignite inspiration and foster collaboration among women from all walks of life.

From March 2-8, 2024, the Fayetteville community is invited to join NC CEED and WBC for 11 special themed events to highlight the incredible achievements and potential of women in Fayetteville. The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal sat down with NC CEED Executive Director Suzy Hrabovsky to learn about the exciting events in store for HERWeek 2024.

The HERWeek calendar includes:

Saturday, March 2:

#HERMoney

Events kick off at the Spring Lake Library at 10 a.m. for a morning of learning about your money mindset and how to reach your financial goals. Presented in partnership with Cumberland County Public Libraries, NC CEED brings the FINANCIAL LITERACY Community Library Tour to the Spring Lake Library to financially educate and help to understand and manage money to be successful in business and personally.

 #HERWheels Car Show & #HERBeauty& Wellness joint event.

These joint events will be taking place and hosted at Blissful Alchemists located at 414 Ray Ave in Fayetteville starting at 11 a.m.

NC CEED and the WBC are teaming up with Southern Lux JeepHers club to showcase some amazing jeeps and cars. The event will be emceed by “The Mo’ You know” and will have vendors, a kid’s area, wrenching workshops, trophies, guest speakers and VIP tickets. Trophies will be awarded to the best cars in show across seven categories including, kids’ choice award, crowd pleaser, top 10 vehicles and more along with First and Second place winners being chosen. Vehicle entry is still available and ranges from $20- $30 for VIP entry. Spectators are invited to attend for free.

At the same time, HERBeauty&Wellness will be taking place inside Blissful Alchemists.

This event will be a beauty and wellness co-op where guests will take part in and learn about the various ways they can take care of their health and implement beauty care routines into their daily life.

“So, this is all women empowering each other. Not only will you be out there looking at your luxury rides and different motorcycles and having a good time with some food trucks and other things, but you can go inside and be pampered and check out some of the different health and wellness programs that blissful Alchemist has, as well as some other vendors that might be there,” shared Hrabovsky.

Vendor spaces are still available and include a fee of $100 to be part of the expo.

Interested businesses can contact 910-323-3377 or register online here to learn more.

Sunday, March 3:

#HERSpirit

Join HERWeek as they dive into spiritual wellness and women empowerment and what that means for women who are seeking balance and spirituality in their everyday lives. Receive scheduled video interviews on social media from sessions with Life Coaches: Dr. Patrice Carter and Camy Kennedy.

In this special event, Dr. Carter and Kennedy will delve into topics close to the heart, offering words of encouragement, insight and practical techniques to help you navigate life's challenges with resilience and grace.

Hrabovsky shared that those videos will be posted online and easily accessible through the NC CEED, WBC and HERWeek social media channels.

Participants can sign up online to receive a reminder on the Eventbrite page here.

Monday, March 4:

#HERService

The Women’s Business Center is proud to showcase the female workers who support our community. Firefighters, EMS, Teacher, Police, and Military.

“That’s an online celebration that we do for people to note those women in our community that are doing service in our community that you maybe don't normally see. We’ll have some videos of people that are providing service in our community and highlighting their positions and what they do,” said Hrabovsky.

This series will feature an estimated four #HERService profiles featuring women heroes from the community. This video will also be posted and available on the NC CEED, WBC and HERWeek social media pages to encourage the community to share and show their appreciation.

Tuesday, March 5:

Two of the most anticipated HERWeek events will be taking place on Tuesday, March 5 including the HerImpact Brunch and the highly anticipated HERPitch competition.

Switching to a new venue space this year, join the HERWeek celebration at the Greek Hellenic Center at 614 Oakridge Ave in Fayetteville. A morning full of delicious brunch, motivation and celebration will start at 10 a.m.  During breakfast, attendees will hear from Keynote Speaker Amy Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. (Full bio here.)

“It is going to be at the Hellenic center over the Greek church which we really loved, and we're really excited about a change of venue. Not only that, but we will be combining the day. Usually, we separate the days between her brunch and HERPitch but we decided to combine that day,” shared Hrabovsky.

“I'm really excited about having Amy here. Amy's kind of low key in the community. But she works internationally. She's out there promoting college athletes and women athletes and she’s somebody that's really in tune to everything happening. And I was really excited to bring her on.”

This year will also see the return of the Athena Leadership Award. Sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas, and organized in partnership with the Athena Leadership Foundation, NC CEED and the WBC are taking up the mantle from the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. According to the Athena Leadership Foundation, the award is designed to recognize those who:

·        Have achieved the highest level of professional excellence;

·        Contribute time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community; and

·        Actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential.

“This is an international award, with this you get leadership recognition amongst other leaders who have also received the award,” shared Hrabovsky. “We’re really excited about accepting those nominees, so if anyone knows those women who fit that category, go online and submit their information.” Learn more about the Athena Leadership Foundation here. 

Nominations close on Friday March 1. You can submit your nominations here.

That afternoon from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. also at the Greek Hellenic Center, the HERPitch competition will begin. Up to $10,000 will be awarded to chosen businesses in various increments. Contestants will be based off of 10 submitted pitches which will be judged and chosen. As of now, organizers are looking for at least 10 qualified businesses to participate with contestants being pulled from the WBC’s HER Pitch training sessions that take place throughout the year.

“To qualify, you would have had to submit a pitch at the right time and be awarded a minimum of points to get to the next level. We have held six different HERPitch training sessions. Usually, people attend those training sessions to get information about how to pitch and we walk them through the pitch and help them formulate what they're doing,” shared Hrabovsky.

This is the first time the brunch and the HER Pitch events have been held on the same day.

Wednesday, March 6:

#HERBusiness

HER Week participants will take to the streets on a citywide Business Scavenger Hunt. Her Week Organizers provide a list of various businesses throughout the county and citizens are encouraged to visit these locations, take a photo and post it online tagging the business and WBC’s page. They get a point for each visit and those points go to a media raffle. The winner will receive a gift basket filled with goodies from participating businesses. The more you post, the better your chances of winning.

 Thursday, March 7:

#HERSafety

The first ever #HERSafety event will take place on Thursday, March 7, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at 1165 N. Bragg Blvd. in Spring Lake at Silhouettes Firearms Training, located in the Southwind Plaza.

“In our busy lives, we often prioritize our family’s needs, our careers and our personal goals. But amidst all this, have we considered investing time in learning how to protect ourselves and utilizing the right tools? To honor #HERWEEK and the incredible women in our community, we invite you to join us at the #HERSAFETY Sip & Equip. This event promises to be a captivating experience that you simply can’t afford to miss. Come and engage with our esteemed personal safety consultant, Andréa Williams, as we delve into the world of personal safety and explore the various options available to you.”

Friday, March 8:

#HERSports

Another new addition to the HERWeek lineup is the first ever #HERSports event. We will be supporting our women in the sports industry and our new local all-female semi professional Soccer Team. Hear inspiring testimonials from local women’s sports, management, team and women players.

HERWeek invites all women, business owners, inspirational figures, to join in this celebration of empowerment and opportunity. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, a budding professional or simply passionate about women’s advancement, HERWeek offers something for everyone.

Click HERE for full access to all event information and registrations and make sure to sign up  for your favorite events.

Follow the HERFayetteville website her, and on Facebook here.