Celebrate Women’s Friendships This Month!
For more than a decade, Kappa Deltas and other women across the nation have set aside a special time to commemorate the power of women’s friendships. What began in 1999 as National Women’s Friendship Day changed to a monthlong celebration in September 2009.
Through the years, the event has gained national recognition and been promoted by various companies, including Avon, Maidenform, General Foods, Vera Bradley and Suzy’s Zoo, and organizations such as Girl Scouts of the USA and the National Charity League. In addition, to date 34 governors have signed proclamations supporting the event.
The celebration recently gained international recognition when CARE, a global humanitarian organization, joined the Confidence Coalition. This year, you may see it referred to as National or International Women’s Friendship Month, and either use is correct. Because of trademark issues, KD needed to start the use of “International” so that the sorority could apply for the trademark right away. The name will officially change to International Women’s Friendship Month in 2011.
IWFM Suggestions for Alumnae
by Bria Bolton, Initiatives and Communications Manager
"I wish there were more hours in the day" is a common thought for most of us as we work to manage the kids' school schedules, an overdue oil change, a looming dinner party and the never-ending to-do list while still trying to find some "me time."
This September, we encourage you celebrate International Women's Friendship Month whether you have five minutes or five days.
5 minutes
- Call your best friends and wish them a Happy International Women's Friendship Month.
- Send a card to a friend you haven't talked to in a few months (or years)!
- Change your facebook picture to the IWFM logo or a photo of yourself with your best friend.
- Change your facebook status to wish everyone a Happy International Women's Friendship Month.
- Post an IWFM flier in your office, at the gym or in your local library.
5 hours
- Host a brunch for your girlfriends and their daughters.
- Participate in the "You Make Me Smile" Campaign. Get more information at www.confidencecoalition.org.
- Spend an afternoon with your daughter(s) looking through old photo albums and yearbooks telling stories about the women who have shaped your life.
- Organize a lunch outing for all of your female coworkers.
- Bake cookies or muffins and deliver them to women in your neighborhood.
5 days
- Plan a weekend getaway to a spa or bed and breakfast with the women who mean the most to you.
- Organize a book club with some friends; Read a book like "The Girls From Ames" by Jeffrey Zaslow.
- Plan a fashion show for women in your community.
- Host a "Go Confidently" Handbag Drive. Get more information at www.confidencecoalition.com.
Enjoy this short video and celebrate your friendships this month! Send your IWFM photos to kdnews@kappadelta.org. For more information on International Women's Friendship Month, visit www.womensfriendshipmonth.com.