2023 Connecting Women in Business Schedule
Registration & networking 11:30am-noon and program and lunch noon – 1pm unless noted otherwise.

January 24 - North Central Michigan College Library Conference Room - featuring Tiffany Lenau of Yoga Roots Healing Arts

February 28 - Stafford's Perry Hotel - The Sweet Smell of Success - hear from JoJo's Cookies and Tootsie Bluffins about their businesses. 

March 21 - Talcott Center, Walloon Village -  Sharing the Kindness -Be Nice Sticker Company celebrated its second anniversary in January this year. This business was created by nine-year-old Natalie and her mother, Becky Babcock, as a way to spread kindness to others through stickers.  

April 26 -Go Grants Fundraiser – Sage, Odawa Casino 11:30am-1:30pm, $50 admission - $20 goes directly to GO GRANTS 

May 23 - Stafford's Bay View - "Control Your Destiny... Six Powerful Steps" with Patti Tomczak. 

June 22 - Inn at Bay Harbor - "Heavy Hitters of Michigan Hospitality"

September 26  - North Central Michigan College Library Conference Room - "Show Up For You" Jasmine Turner Register Today

November 2 -Showcase of women businesses – Grand Unity Event Center

November 28 - Native American Heritage Month – Odawa Hotel

Summer 2023 GO Grants Program now accepting applications, deadline March 31, 2023

Download APPLICATION FORM HERE in PDF format   

Download APPLICATION FORM HERE in Microsoft Word format
 

February 21, 2023 - Connecting Women in Business (CWIB), a Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce group, announces the launch of its Summer 2023 series GO Grants for Girls. 

Formed in 2007, Connecting Women in Business provides opportunities for area women business leaders and business owners to learn, form connections, share ideas, and find personal and professional growth. The key purposes of CWIB include:
• Provide professional development and leadership training;
• Strengthen and market area businesses;
• Offer networking toward strategic alliances, affiliations and business opportunities;
• Mentoring and support; and
• Provide opportunities for girls to dream big, thereby improving self-esteem and leadership.

It is through the last goal listed above that CWIB created GO Grants for Girls in 2007. GO Grants, or Girls Outreach Grants, will reach out to young girls in our area who have an idea and passion to try something new. Grants will range from $100 to $600, and can be used as resources in any field of endeavor.

The purpose of the grants is to provide small grants to girls in grades 5 to 10 in the Char-Em ISD service area of Charlevoix, Emmet and northern Antrim counties. These grants will allow the applicant to pursue a special interest gain or improve a skill, participate in an outdoor experience and more. We encourage applications that will be challenging to the applicant. Since 2010, 217 girls have received more than $81,000 in GO Grants!!.

Girls will be required to work with an adult mentor – a relative outside of the immediate family, teacher, youth pastor, social worker, etc. – who will help them fill out and submit the application, and will work with the girl to help her achieve her dream.  Each girl who receives a Go Grant is required to either submit a one to two-minute video about her completed activity and what it meant to her or submit a written report. 

The ideal applicants are girls who have not received awards for outstanding achievements. CWIB is seeking girls who do not ordinarily apply for awards. We are looking for under-represented girls who need more support to realize their potential. Girls need to clearly state their financial need, as well as describe a special interest that will spark their imagination, creativity, or follow a dream that they may not imagine possible.

It is important that the girls and their mentor fill out the application completely, answering questions on a separate sheet of paper. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Please read the rules and guidelines on the application carefully. Together we can help girls fulfill their dreams, and reinforce their importance to our community.