Annual Yuma Women’s Expo returns Saturday
The Yuma Women’s Expo, being held Saturday by the Arizona Business Women’s Association, will be bigger and brighter than ever this year, especially for those who get an early start, said Karen McCafferty of ABWA’s Terrritorial Charter Chapter.
“We have swag bags made of burlap and (they) can double as beach bags, and they’ll have a lot of great items from various businesses in town. This is going to be our best year in terms of swag bags,” she said.
These bags are limited to the first 500 attendees, however, and women are known to line up hours ahead of time just to make sure they get one of these prized sacks.
Overall about 800 to 1000 women attend the event annually, and this year it will be in the 3G building at Arizona Western College, 2020 S. Avenue 8E, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
General admission tickets are $3, and VIP tickets are $5. Both are available in advance at Corona Optique, 2149 W. 24th St., Women’s Health Specialists, 2911 S. 8th Ave., and Edward Jones Investments at 11361 S. Foothills Blvd. VIP ticketholders get in the door at 8 a.m. and therefore have better odds of snagging a swag bag.
McCafferty said there will be 68 vendors for attendees to visit and shop at throughout the site, in between “mini-college” demonstrations on cooking, sewing, gardening, business and health issues, along with spa treatments and other diversions.
The gathering will include “doc talks” sponsored by Women’s Health Specialists, which this year will feature these informative lectures:
• 9 a.m. – James Vining M.D., urinary incontinence and prolapse. He has been practicing for more than 24 years and has encountered most conditions related to gynecology and pregnancy. Dr. Vining earned bachelors and medical degrees from the University of Iowa and is board certified in gynecology, obstetrics and gynecological endoscopy.
• 10 a.m. Catherine Pitchford – Postpartum depression. She is a certified nurse midwife who believes pregnancy and childbirth are and should be treated as a normal physiological event in a woman’s life. She believes in providing evidence-based care, along with educating women about their healthcare choices. Pitchford has a bachelors in science in nursing from the University of South Alabama and a masters in science in midwifery from Frontier Nursing University.
• 11 a.m. – Sarah Strom, how to get the most out of your annual well woman exam. Strom is a certified nurse midwife who has earned two bachelors of science degrees from the University of Arizona, in microbiology and nursing, and also a masters of science in nurse midwifery from Frontier Nursing University. She is a Yuma native who previously worked as an RN in the labor, delivery and neo-natal intensive care unit side of health care.
“We have swag bags made of burlap and (they) can double as beach bags, and they’ll have a lot of great items from various businesses in town. This is going to be our best year in terms of swag bags.”