BPW International

At a Banquet held on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, The Business and Professional Women's Association of Bermuda (BPW Bermuda) celebrated its 35th Anniversary as an affiliate of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women.  BPW Bermuda also conducted the traditional Candle Lighting Ceremony where candles were lit for other member organization on every continent.  The event was a success and drew a crowd of nearly 100 women.

A significant highlight for the evening was having the BPW International President, Ms. Elizabeth Benham, as the keynote speaker.  She challenged BPW Bermuda to get involved with economic empowerment for women, to create a network of women run companies and to promote equal pay for women.  To conclude her presentation, the room joined her in singing a song that was written by a member from Canada, Jeanette Arsenault.  The song reminded women to get involved as there is work to be done!

Another highlight for the evening was the induction ceremony of fourteen ladies that joined BPW Bermuda.  The inductees joined us with a myriad of qualifications and their professions range from healthcare to legislation to real estate to education to law enforcement to reinsurance to business and finance. Of course, BPW Bermuda is elated to have such talent on board.  At a time when charities in Bermuda have reported a decline in membership and an inability to attract interest, fourteen new inductees is an amazing accomplishment for this organization, and serves as a testimony to why it has been so successful in its 35 years of service to the Bermuda community.
As the evening drew to a close, members and guests viewed a video clip of a message from former BPW International President, Dr. Yvette Swan, the only BPW Bermuda member to date to hold that prestigious position.  Her message reminded the audience of the following BPW Bermuda contributions:

•    instrumental in changing the curriculum in schools for girls to study sciences.
•    initiated the Human Rights Legislation and assisted with the initial writing of the Act
•    advocated for changes with the banks so that women would be allowed to get a loan from the bank without having a man to sign for them.
•    formed the Physical Abuse Center
•    initialized the idea of the Community School and had an area at the Warwick Community School office where women could come and ask questions.  This was especially beneficial to foreign women who were new to the island.
The evening concluded with members and guests lighting candles for each member of the International Federation.

Judith Morgan-Swan
Banquet Committee Chairperson

March 28, 2011

Photographs courtesy of Lawrence Grant - Photographer