Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures

March 8, 2012, marks the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day which marks the economic, political, and social achievements of women. I am in awe of the women who came together in 1910 – at a time when women did not have the right to vote or to hold public office – to press for this day of recognition.


Per InternationalWomensDay.com, “In 1910, an … International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result. Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.”

In Salt Lake City we are honored to have Former Utah Governor Olene Walker as the keynote speaker for our International Women’s Day luncheon. Ms. Walker was the first, and to date, the only female governor of Utah. We expect to be inspired by her insights. Go to http://www.sislc.org/ for information.

The 2012 theme for International Women’s Day is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures.” Just think - if every International Women's Day event held in 2012 includes girls in some way, then thousands of minds will be inspired globally. This is especially relevant, as March 12, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts. More about the Girl Scouts in a near-future post.

Wear Red for Women’s Heart Health

Friday, February 3, is National Wear Red Day. Put on your red shirt, your red sweater, or, if it’s casual Friday where you work, your red hoodie – but wear red! Friday is the day we call attention to women’s heart health.

Did you know? Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in women worldwide, causing 8.6 million deaths annually? In the United States, heart disease and stroke cause nearly twice as many deaths for women than those caused by all cancers combined, including breast cancer.

Did you know? Women’s Heart Disease is not as predictable as men’s.
Research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks. Surprisingly, fewer than 30% reported having chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43% reported have no chest pain during any phase of the attack. According to NIH research, women's major symptoms prior to heart attack include unusual fatigue, sleep disturbance, shortness of breath, indigestion, and anxiety. Major symptoms during the heart attack include shortness of breath, weakness, unusual fatigue, cold sweat and dizziness.

If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1...Get to a hospital right away.

Learn More! Go to http://www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx for lifestyle tips that can keep your heart healthy.