HerFlow, LASCO honour outstanding ‘sheroes’
COUNTERING the notion that women do not support women, HerFlow founder Shelly-Ann Weeks, in partnership with LASCO Curves, honoured 12 women for achieving significant goals in business and positively impacting the community with the launch of the HerFlow Celebrate Her Unsung Sheroes Awards brunch at the Pegasus hotel on March 17.
“I am tired. I am annoyed. It makes the vein in my forehead quiver every time somebody says women don’t support each other. That is not true,” said Weeks to deafening cheers and claps from a room of some 100 women and a few men.
“We are a lot more supportive of each other than the advertising says, and we need to do more to just shut that down.”
The inaugural Unsung Sheroes — Wine Down for Charity founder Sabrina Webster; Youth Can Do IT founder Lianne McNaughton; social advocate Danielle Terrelonge; the Cosmic Wombman founder Ramona Riley; Tamar’s Redemption founder Joseth Brown; mental health advocate Monique Lynch; Girls Who Know Ja founder Chelsea Wright; Operation Love founder Celia Steele; I am Woman. Period founder Trish-Ann McTaggart; the Angelic Ladies Society founder Sara-Lou Walker; and I’m Glad I’m a Girl founder, Nadeen Spence — were celebrated for their philanthropic work in areas such as female empowerment, education, mental health care, and advocacy for victims of abuse. A surprise award was also given to public relations consultant Toni-Ann Kelly, who used her birthday as a platform in support of HerFlow.
Noting that philanthropic work is “hard work”, Weeks encouraged each woman not to let the public’s idea of “humility” dim their light or silence their voice.
“There are women feeding the homeless out of their pockets. There are women reading to the mentally ill. There are women who raise money. But we don’t hear about these stories,” Weeks said.
“Sometimes we allow humility to quiet our voices and humility doesn’t mean you cannot embrace who you are and what you are doing, so please ladies let us know what you are doing.”
Each awardee received a plaque recognising their service and gift baskets from LASCO Distributors through their Curves brand. Weeks also thanked LASCO for taking an active role in women’s issues advocacy through sponsorship.
“I consider them a partner,” Weeks said. “LASCO has been very supportive of most of the things that HerFlow has done from our school tours to when I launched my book — It’s My Body. Period — last year.”
Renee Rose, Curves brand manager, who was on hand to personally celebrate the honorees, said it was “most fitting” to be associated with HerFlow as both brands target women.
“There are many phenomenal women who are selfless in their mantra to uplift, support and empower other women, so Curves wholeheartedly supports some of these women through HerFlow in recognition of International Women’s Month,” she said.
