Great turnout, positive response at first LeadingWELL event
March 15, 2019 | TS Prosperity Group
Council Bluffs, IA - More than 100 women had the chance to learn, listen and laugh during the inaugural LeadingWELL: women empowering local leaders event on Wednesday in Council Bluffs.
Hosted by TS Bank, the event at Caddy’s Kitchen and Cocktails was a chance for women to learn as a group of community leaders discussed the balance, knowledge and networking that is required of a woman in the working world.
Panelists included Sheryl Garst, CEO of The 712 Initiative; Lisa Fox, president/grant writer of Fox Creek Fundraising; Dr. Vickie Murillo, superintendent of the Council Bluffs Community School District and Donna Dostal, CEO of the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation.
Revela CEO Andrea Fredrickson moderated the discussion. Presenting sponsors included TS Prosperity Group, Revela, the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation and Castle & Associates Inc. of American Family Insurance.
“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back,” said Erin Johnson, recruitment and selection manager with TS Bank. “That is what we wanted to do tonight - help celebrate these leaders in our community and continue growing future leaders, all while showing there is a huge tribe in our local community who have your back.”
A total of 110 women attended. They were asked to write down their favorite professional development resources, we’ve pooled the responses here. And organizers distributed more than $675 in door prizes to attendees, donated by sponsors.
“We thought there might be a need for this type of event in Council Bluffs,” said Melissa Peterson, director of marketing at TS Banking Group. “The response was overwhelming, with a huge amount of support, interest and buzz around LeadingWELL. We are very grateful to the panelists for being vulnerable and sharing their stories with us.”
The ticket costs were pooled to make a $1,000 donation from attendees to the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation’s newly-launched Women’s Fund.
The women’s fund will be geared toward helping women in southwest Iowa and throughout the state in four key areas: education for women of all ages; access to affordable, quality child care; women’s health, safety and well-being and “aging in place,” working to provide women access to quality and affordable healthcare, healthy foods, exercise, place-making, family resources and volunteer services as they age.
For more information or to donate, go to givewesterniowa.org.
To keep the momentum going after the positive response to Wednesday’s event, partner organizations will host a LeadingWELL workshop from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on June 5. Save the date. Additional details will be released in the coming weeks.
About TS Bank: TS Bank’s mission is to Ignite Prosperity® in the communities it serves. Leading the resurgence of community banking, TS Bank reinvests 10% of their net income locally; hosting educational events and partners with local organizations and non-profits. Treynor State Bank was chartered in 1923 and branded to TS Bank in 2005. TS Bank has $365 million in assets, along with the largest Iowa state-chartered C-Corp trust department west of Des Moines at nearly $218 million in assets named TS Prosperity Group. Locations include Treynor, Macedonia, Atlantic, Corning and Council Bluffs, Iowa. For more information visit tsbank.com.