Smith, Penney to entertain at International Women’s Day celebration

SYDNEY — The Ann Terry Society will celebrate International Women’s Day four days early this year with an evening of music, stories and conversation on the subject of women and change.

The event will take place on Wednesday, March 4 beginning at 7 p.m. at the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation, the former Holy Angels chapel, 170 George St., Sydney.

Special guest Laura Smith and musical guest Alicia Penney will take the stage to entertain with their words and music.

Smith is a Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter, formerly living in Cape Breton. She has had a successful career in music with many achievements and awards. Penney is a young, Cape Breton-based singer-songwriter who will share her music.

This is an all-ages event with a reception to follow.

For more than 100 years, March 8 has been designated as a day to recognize the struggles of women around the globe. Today, in Canada, women are better off than they ever were but still lag behind in areas such as being underrepresented in municipal and provincial governments, as well as in the fields of trades and technologies. Women are still only making 76.9 cents for every dollar made by men. On the plus side, women in Nova Scotia are earning more college degrees and more women are entering fields previously dominated by men.

The international women’s event on March 4 will celebrate the many successes of women over the past years, while keeping in mind the need for greater equality.

This is a free event although space is limited. A freewill donation for the Ann Terry Society will be accepted at the door.

The Ann Terry Society, sponsored by Employment Nova Scotia, helps women living in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality enter the paid workforce by providing career development services that are women centred and community based.