Story by Sara Howell, Contributing writer
Photo courtesy of Janine Duncan
The Summit on the Status of Women: Shaping and Engaging in Community Life encouraged its audience to get involved within the community in more ways than one this year. The panel discussion Tapping Women’s Potential for Full Engagement in Community gave speakers the opportunity to offer ways for women to make change within their community.
Support other women
Jennifer Morrison, assistant professor and public administrator, was the first to speak in the panel discussion.
Morrison said women have a lot of responsibilities at home, work and school. With these responsibilities come a chance for communication.
“Talk to your friends,” Morrison said. “Talk to the moms in the carpool line, talk to the moms at soccer practice, talk to the moms at church, talk to the people at the grocery store.”
She said that there are a hundred women running for office in Kentucky and we as women should show support for them. Use social media – Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat.
“Women are standing up and women are being heard,” Morrison said. “And when they are knocked down, they are standing up again. Figuratively and literally.”
Stand up for what you believe in
Mary-Elaine Horn, coordinator of Student Health Services and Regional Academic Outreach, said she believes women need to step up in the community.
“We have to come out of our little boxes and we have to come together in a circle and move forward,” Horn said.
She said that there will be challenges along the way but it is important to not let them become barriers that hold you back. These challenges will become stepping stones towards the goals you are trying to reach. Make that phone call, write that letter, go to that meeting and voice your opinion.
“As women, we will have to stand in an effort to make for our community a better place to live for all,” Horn said. “Because if it had not been for women, where would we be?”
Finding your passion and becoming an engager
Vonnie Hays-Adams, director of Patient Access at Murray-Calloway County Hospital/Community Change, said the first thing that should be done to encourage engagement is getting people to make your cause a priority in their lives.
She said we as individuals should take the time to figure out our calling, asking ourselves what is most important to us.
To get involved locally, the Murray Woman’s Club is a doorway for involvement within the Murray Community. They have 10 different departments that give women different ways to show community support, according to murraywomansclub.org.
“Action engagers are the women who want to see tangible evidence that what they believe in or what they’re doing is going to produce something,” Hays-Adams said.
Have courage
“I’ve caught myself many times in my life saying, ‘Well someone should do something about that,’” Hays-Adams said. “At some point you gotta quit saying that, you gotta be the somebody to actually do it.”
She said women are in a place where they can be exposed to other things and that can guide them in figuring out who they are and what they stand for.