International Women’s Day celebrations set March 8
To celebrate International Women’s Day, two local organizations are joining forces to celebrate women and the community. Beebe Healthcare and the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation will each host events at various times Sunday, March 8, for all to participate.
The Joshua M. Freeman Foundation will host a celebratory march to commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment ratification at 3 p.m., March 8, at The Circle in Georgetown. This free event is open to the public; attendees can learn about the suffragettes whose decades-long movement finally secured women’s right to vote in 1920.
There will be a few speakers, a proclamation from the Town of Georgetown, music, and hot beverages and sweet treats from SoDel Concepts as well as Girl Scout cookies for sale. Participants will be able to make signs and sashes reminiscent of those worn by suffragettes.
The League of Women Voters will be on site for voter registration.
The foundation has also commissioned JoAnn Balingit, a past Delaware poet laureate, to create a poem for this special event, which will be recited by three local high school students.
“This event is an opportunity to honor all women and celebrate this historic milestone through the arts,” said Patti Grimes, foundation executive director. “We reached out to our community partners to help celebrate and chose Georgetown since it is the seat for Sussex County, representing inclusiveness for all to participate in the march.”
“The Town of Georgetown is proud to be a part of the International Women’s Day Celebration and Centennial of the 19th Amendment ratification,” said Georgetown Town Manager Gene Dvornick. “We welcome all to our lovely Circle, perhaps the most appropriate spot in Sussex County for this historic event.”
Prior to the Georgetown march, Beebe Healthcare will host its fourth annual Girls Day Out from noon to 2 p.m., at the Atlantic Sands Hotel & Conference Center in Rehoboth Beach. In keeping with the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, #EachforEqual, Beebe has chosen to honor women who are making a difference in the local community.
The featured speaker will be Marnie Oursler, president of Marnie Custom Homes, who hosted DIY Network’s “Big Beach Build” for two seasons as well as HGTV’s 2018 “Dream Home.” This event is free, but reservations are required and can be made at www.girlsdayout2020.eventbrite.com.
“This event is all about women celebrating women. There are so many women and women-led groups that make a difference in our community,” said Mary Green, Beebe Healthcare marketing coordinator. “This is how Beebe celebrates them, and we enjoy the opportunity to thank them for all that they do. We hope that they inspire others to do the same.”
The 19th Amendment Celebratory March is a part of a series of events the foundation is presenting in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary. For more information, go to www.freemanstage.org.
