Announcements

Congratulations to Robin Balke SBW Woman of the Year and Furnell Companies, SBW Employer of the Year!

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On December 2 – 3, 2022, the Business Women of Missouri will hold their Winter Board Meeting at the Best Western on the River, Hannibal, Missouri. The Deadline to register is November 28. Click here for the registration form.

SBW will be celebrating 100 years in March.

Save the date: March 25, 2023. 

Cindy’s Closet–members may donate gently used business casual and/or business casual attire to place in Cindy’s Closet (a clothing rack at the Shrine). Items are not priced but donations can be made to the

Calendar

Sedalia Business Women Meeting

The December 8 Meeting (note date change!) will be under the direction of the Social’s Committee. We will have a gift exchange ($10 to $15 value, wrapped.) Plan to enjoy the season!

Meetings are held 6:30 p.m. at the

Shrine Multipurpose Building
1375 Elm Hills Blvd, Sedalia, MO

Members, please let your caller know no later than Tuesday prior to the meeting if you plan to attend. We must have an accurate count! If you would like to visit a Sedalia Business Women’s meeting, please send an email to sbwmail@sedaliabwm.org no later than the Monday prior to the meeting. We welcome visitors! For a meeting schedule visit our Calendar page.

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Support SBW Members’ Businesses!

Friendship luncheons are being held weekly. If interested in attending, contact any of those that regularly attend or check our Facebook page or click here for any prescheduled lunches.

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Pardon our mess! We are in the process of archiving some of the past years’ website pages.  

Visit our Latest News page for photos and meeting recaps!

For archived news posts

visit the Past President page.

Robin Balke, SBW President

Encourage. Inspire. Empower

For those who don’t know, when a member assumes the role of president, they have to come up with a theme or motto for their term. When I stood here a year ago, I announced my theme as “Encourage – Inspire – Empower”. I felt it encompassed not only what we should all be doing for others, but it fit well with the SBW Mission Statement: “To achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information.” A banner was made for the installation banquet and I have been displaying at each of our meetings ever since.

I wanted to “Encourage” our members to engage with each other and the community by providing opportunities for networking and volunteering, as well as acknowledging the efforts and talents our members contribute to our club.

I wanted to “Inspire” women to want to join SBW and existing members to serve in various capacities such as a committee or on the board, and for all to be active in the community by being an example and “practice what I preach”.

And to “Empower” our members, I wanted to provide personal and professional development opportunities to give them the tools to be confident in protecting themselves, speaking up for themselves, trying new things, and overcoming challenges which their employer, society, or they themselves have placed before them.

I tried to abide by my theme by having speakers for our meetings that addressed issues important to women by educating, informing, and/or inspiring them such as protecting your personal information/finances from fraud and scammers; women’s issues in the workplace; information about the United WE organization; disability etiquette; and what to do if you suspect illegal activity in your neighborhood.

I started the “Member-Exclusive” events that provided an opportunity for things that could be done outside the normal boundaries of a dinner meeting, such as information/education on relaxation breathing techniques and various types of yoga at Soul Full Studio, along with an explanation of nutritional/healthy food and drinks at Nourish Café; head shot photos taken by a professional photographer; a situational awareness/personal safety presentation by the Sedalia Police Department; a special tour of Nucor; a #MeToo happy hour simulation to learn the signs of sexual harassment and how to respond to them; and a sneak-preview tour of the Heckart Community Center.

Our Facebook page posts contain articles of inspiring women who made history and those breaking records or glass ceilings now. There are also photos of our members volunteering their time in the community in an effort to encourage others to do so. And information on dozens upon dozens of free training opportunities to equip women with the tools to empower themselves personally and professionally.

Sure, we had fun at our activities such as the annual paddle party, Business Women’s Week, the holiday party, Red Purse Raffle and silent auction. But we also truly gave back to the community through the three scholarships that we awarded to area women, the personal hygiene products and purse/bag drive held for United Way during Sedalia Business Women’s Week, the family we adopted at Christmas, the new undergarments and clothing we donate to Bothwell’s emergency department for female victims of assault, the donation made to Smith Cotton High School’s Project Graduation, the six non-profit organizations that received the proceeds from our chicken dinner fundraiser, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, and the donations given by our club to the memorials designated by families of members who have lost an immediate family member.

One component I intended to implement and now will focus on in my second year, will be mentoring. We have a wealth of knowledge and experience among our ranks that could benefit others. Whether it’s cooking, communicating, or computers, we are all “subject matter experts” in something. For a member to be able to reach out to other women when needed is a great resource. The SBW sisterhood of support is something many other civic organizations do not have.

Also a year ago, I warned there would be changes. Let me just say, you handled that really well. I said I welcomed your feedback on what you think and any ideas you may have. You didn’t disappoint there, either. As we approach our 100-year anniversary this March, I will be sharing tidbits of our history and I welcome you to share in the pride that an organization which began at a time when women only had quilting bees, Bible studies, and afternoon teas as a reason to gather and share information was named one of Sedalia’s top three civic organizations for 2021 in a public poll conducted through the Sedalia Democrat newspaper.

I appreciate how this club is comprised of women of various backgrounds, ages, political views, religions (including non-religion), and social viewpoints. And yet, we are able to succeed. As our Club Collect states, “Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create difference, that in the big things of life we are all at one”. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your president again this year. As always, I appreciate the assistance of others, I welcome your input on things, and I look forward to what the next twelve months bring as we all “Encourage – Inspire –Empower”.