As Chatham-Kent enters the dead of winter, members of the May Court Club of Chatham can’t wait for spring.
The club is hosting its fourth Women of Excellence awards April 26 at the Portuguese-Canadian Social Club.
Kris Stevens, president of the May Court Club of Chatham, said the event celebrates the successes of women around the globe who have deep ties to Chatham-Kent.
“They have to have either been born in or lived in Chatham-Kent at some point,” she said of nominees for the awards. “The event showcases outstanding women in our area.”
Nominations have begun rolling in for the club, but Stevens would like to see more names added to the mix.
The awards have six different categories: arts & culture; community & volunteerism; health, science and technology; business and professions; education and training; and young women of excellence.
Past winners include Shannon Prince, Meaghan Creed, Lynn Patterson, Emily Hime, Brenda LeClair and many more.
Stevens said to nominate someone, just download the forms from maycourtchatham.ca, fill them out and return them to a member.
She said she always is amazed at the quality and diversity of nominees.
“It’s a very varied group of individuals each time. It’s like they come out of the woodwork. They’re there, but we just don’t know about them,” she said. “It speaks well to the quality of education in Chatham-Kent.”
Stevens said nominees can spark others down similar career paths.
“We’re hoping they will be role models for our young women of Chatham-Kent,” she said.
Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 23.
The club began hosting the awards in 2016, with a second in 2018. The Covid pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 version.
However, Women of Excellence returned in 2022 in a stripped-down format.
“We had a cut-back version last time. We just wanted to get people honoured,” Stevens said.
The dinner and evening celebration is back in full form this year, she said. On top of the award and meal, there will be a short auction.
“There will be a few items for the live auction. We want to make some money to support our service projects,” Stevens said.
She added the $125 ticket price per person for the event just covers expenses for the night.
Tickets will be available from May Court Club members, and at Alexander & Houle Funeral Home.
The May Court Club of Chatham has focused on supporting women and children. They contribute to the emergency lunch box program at 19 schools across the municipality, and also support the Queen Elizabeth II breakfast program.
“Our budget of $27,500 doesn’t go very far, but it is some help anyway,” Stevens said.
