DAVENPORT, Iowa – It’s time to “Strike a Match.”
A new non-profit in the Quad Cities wants to connect young professional women with experienced leaders across the area to fuel their careers as well as engage them in the community.
On Wednesday, August 10th, 2016, Lead(H)er was launched along with its “Strike a Match” Program. Founded by Melissa Pepper, the program will pair leaders with young professional women at community events.
“Career and community engagement go hand in hand – they are perfect complements to one another,” explained Pepper. “Lead(H)er’s goal is to fuel both for young professional women in this community, and I think one great way to do that is by learning from those leaders who are already doing it.”
Lead(H)er’s kick-off event was sponsored by Northwest Bank & Trust, Missman, Inc., Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, Integrity Integrated, and Royal Neighbors of America – which awarded $10,000 to Pepper as part of their Nation of Neighbors Program.
“We’ve had this program in place since 2007,” said Cynthia Tidwell, CEO of Royal Neighbors of America. “We have helped 1,200 families over this period of time and we have given about $1.8 million.”
“The thing that connects me to Lead(H)er is we’re talking about diversity,” she added. “Diversity makes organizations better. Different ideas make organizations better. So, I’m very proud to help with the monetary part of what needs to happen to ‘strike this match’.”
To learn more about Lead(H)er and to sign up for the “Strike a Match” Program, click here.
