- February 7, 2025
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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word empower as "to promote the self-actualization or influence of."
I saw the definition of the word at the Just Us Girls event on Thursday, Oct. 5, where women from the community were promoting their businesses and bringing in sales. It's a monthly event that fills the Port Orange VFW, and reminded me of all the talented wives, daughters, mothers and friends out there.
Some of the women ran their business alongside their full-time jobs while for others this was their full-time job. Either way, they'd all put in the time, money and effort to make their business a success. Walking around the displays and talking with the vendors, I couldn't help but notice the detail put into everything.
There were autumn-inspired packages of fudge and toffee from Patty Morley, the colorful shoes from fibi & clo, run by Meredith Willman, and the handmade soaps, bath bombs and scrubs from Amber Aftonomos. These women, along with all of the others, had been there for several hours and wouldn't be leaving until 9 p.m. that night. Even then, they still had to pack all of their items up and take it out of the building.
To me, that's inspiring. The whole event takes time, dedication and energy and it's not something everyone can do. And maybe some of the women at the VFW on Thursday thought about it and maybe some didn't, but they were impacting the people that saw them there.
And when I saw a few little girls walking around the venue I thought, what a great way to impact younger generations. Because so much of what we do is influenced by what we see. If young girls are around independent women who do what they love then there's more of a chance they too will want to accomplish more and work hard for what they're passionate about.
I could easily imagine a little girl seeing one of these women running her own business then holding that image in her mind until she's older. Years down the road that same picture might stick with her and empower her to take a risk, ignore the doubters and be an entrepreneur herself.
However, events like Just Us Girls are important not only for the 8-year-old girl who hasn't decided on a career but for the 58-year-old woman ready for a change in her life. We all need to be empowered to be our best selves and do more than what we think we can do.
Then, hopefully one day, we can each be role models for someone else. One day we can be the ones to empower another woman looking for more in life.
