It was a magical night. And, it seems like the whole community really needed it.
In Eugene, Oregon, as it is for many of us throughout the United States, it has been a very difficult, tense and heartbreaking few months. I think we all needed something positive, something joyful, something optimistic, and of course, wonderful food and a fabulous speaker to engage us.
And, we got it all!
On March 20th, the evening of the spring equinox, over 110 people from Eugene, Springfield, Albany, Salem and Portland communities, gathered at the beautiful Country Inn. The Country Inn is a charming place where you feel like you’re in somebody’s beautiful, historic home, except that everything is wheelchair accessible and outside there are acres of lush gardens just starting to burst into bloom. It was in these picturesque surroundings, that community members came together to celebrate and raise funds for our Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability, affectionately called “WILD”.
Many of our donors, homestay families, as well as many new faces from the community arrived to the space and were greeted with foods from around the world: from Indian Samosas and Tandoori chicken skewers to Moroccan Muhammara and Mediterranean platters of dolmas, hummus, cheese and crackers — everything you might need to fill your stomach in the early evening!
We also had delicious mocktails served at the 1880’s historic Scottish bar by our fabulous homestay family, Jane Falls and Alan Kelly, which added a touch of elegance to the evening. Later, when desserts were brought out, there was baklava, more cupcakes than you could ever imagine, as well as a Caribbean dark chocolate spice cake.
But of course, we weren’t there for the food alone. We were there to raise funds for WILD, which will take place from June 24 – July 11, 2025, and will bring approximately 25 disabled women activists from Afghanistan, Armenia, Bhutan, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
To get us excited about welcoming these amazing women leaders, we watched a short video featuring several WILD alumni who spoke gratefully about the impact the WILD program had on their life. We heard from a WILD woman in Tanzania who is excited about coming this summer as part of the 2025 cohort. And, the Brilliant & Resilient photo exhibit was also on display, celebrating the portraits and stories of more WILD alumni.
Later in the evening, thanks to our volunteer auctioneer, Dale Hartley, we auctioned off 9 exciting items: from delicious wine packages donated from local wineries to dance and music lessons, and from a sunset sailboat cruise to a private dinner prepared by a local James Beard Award finalist Chef.
The mood was set! There was a joyous atmosphere. We were all supporting something that we truly believe can change the world, which is empowering disabled women globally, and at the same time, we were having fun raising the funds!
The highlight of the event was our guest speaker Kate Brown.
Kate Brown had the incredible honor of serving the people of Oregon for over thirty years, as a legislator, Secretary of State and as Oregon’s 38th Governor. After leaving the Governor’s office, she did fellowships at both the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. Kate is currently serving as the president of Willamette Falls Trust, a Tribally-led effort to restore public access to the Willamette Falls, the second largest falls in North America.
Kate, who loves history, spoke eloquently as she wove the stories of courageous, trailblazing women throughout Oregon history who broke down preconceived notions of what society thought was possible. These women truly were leading the way.
In her plenary speech, Kate was also able to weave the qualities of Loud, Proud and Passionate!®, which is the mantra of our WILD program. She reminded us, especially during these turbulent times, how important it is for all of us to “Be loud” — say what we believe is true and needs to be said to preserve our democracy.
“Be proud” — be proud of our history of women leaders and our allies, and all that we have accomplished. She encouraged disabled women especially to be proud of who we are, even if society doesn’t always celebrate our uniqueness and pride.
And finally, she reminded us how important it is to “Be passionate” — to really feel something in your heart and soul, and to let that feeling not only come from yourself, but to also feel the passion from your other WILD women, sisters and allies who have joined us on this journey to empower disabled women globally.
It was a magical night. We saw old friends and we made new friends. We ate delicious food, we saw a wonderful, impactful video and speaker, and we raised the funds needed to have our WILD program this summer. But, we still have a ways to go! So if you’re reading this, if you are also feeling Loud, Proud and Passionate!®, please join us by donating to the campaign.
And yes, despite all the heaviness and disappointment in the world today, we can still feel joyous and be hopeful. As I have always said, you can have joyous optimism and righteous anger at the same time.
Thank you to all who contributed to this amazing event – our generous community sponsors, the wonderful Kate Brown, the many volunteers who made this night possible, everyone who donated that night, and anyone who still might donate as you read this story of our magical night!
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