The Cold Lake Women of Influence (WOI) awards saw a record number of names put forward.
Over 100 nominations were made this year in the seven categories.
In honour of International Women’s Day, the seventh annual awards ceremony will take place on Friday, March 8 at the Cold Lake Energy Centre.
“I think it’s pretty clear that women are doing all kinds of interesting and different things that the general population may not know about,” explained Audrey McFarlane, committee member for the Cold Lake WOI. “I think people are becoming much more aware of the awards ceremony, and how to profile these women.”
In addition to the winners in each category, the selection committee also chooses an overall WOI out of the list of nominees.
Among the nominees for arts and culture is Tracy Belsher, who goes by the pen name Judith Graves. Graves said she was flabbergasted by the news.
“I’m excited and terrified at the same time. I kind of go with the educator-side of things, so I’m comfortable if I’m teaching people things and letting them have the limelight,” she expressed.
Through her calligraphy and sign making business, Sassy Lassie Designs, she encourages people to embrace cursive, lettering, and art.
Another woman receiving recognition is Leslie Mendez, who sees it as confirmation that she’s achieving her goal of supporting the ladies around her through her position at Wheel Fit Co.
“I don’t know if they’ll ever understand the meaning (the nomination) has in my life. I just want to say thank you so much times a billion, because it gave me that much more encouragement and solidified what I’m doing is okay,” she expressed.
Danika Desaulniers, owner of Wheel Fit Co., was also nominated for health and wellness.
“My intention with opening the space was to create a community, reach out to the community, and be involved in all aspects,” she said, adding she’s been involved with local organizations such as Hearts for Healthcare and the Dr. Margaret Savage Crisis Centre.
Both Mendez and Desaulniers contribute to the physical well-being of Cold Lake, which is a major factor in this category.
For nominee Mary Anne Penner, she believes she was suggested in the community and volunteer group due to her involvement with her church and neighbours.
She sees the evening as an opportunity to inspire people within Cold Lake.
“I think it’s important that all of us have role models that we can look at to give us inspiration, to encourage, to give us some kind of direction in ways that we can be a benefit to our communities and to society as a whole,” she detailed.
One of the speakers during the ceremony is Cold Lake’s Nadine Deslauriers-Friesen, who will be sharing the story of an accident that impacted the rest of her life.
“There’s so many women with awesome backgrounds with their own businesses, volunteer work, and there’s all the women that work so hard,” she said. “Of course, we’re not doing this for the awards, but, it’s nice to be recognized.”
While the upcoming night is meant to celebrate women who have impacted Cold Lake, Mendez stressed the importance of the work put into it by the Cold Lake WOI committee.
“I just wanted to say a huge ‘thank you’ to whoever created such an amazing event to empower and uplift all of us because we definitely all need it regardless of the work we do.”
