Hi all,

I hope you are doing well - hard to believe it's been nearly a year since our gathering. I recently joined the board of The Cardea Center for Women (http://www.cardeacenterforwomen.org/) in San Jose, CA and wanted to share with you an upcoming event we are hosting for those who may be local and could attend or get the word out to your networks.

The Cardea Center is organizing a Women's Economic Forum planned as a timely and appropriate medium for focusing on economic solutions for women in Silicon Valley, impacted by the current recession. It is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 from 9:30am-4:00pm and hosted by the Center for Employment and Training at their San Jose campus (701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110). 20 local organizations and the City of San Jose are partnering with the center. The keynote address is by Debra Figone, San Jose City Manager Titled "Women's Economic Forum: Opportunities for Weathering the Economic Storm", this event will feature top leaders providing strategies, resources and guidance to enable women to advance during this downturn and is about supporting women in all sectors of the economy during and after the current economic crisis. The daylong session will cover educational and hands-on informational sessions for women to explore the options open to them for overcoming their economic hardships or problems. We are also providing scholarships to those women who can't afford to pay, especially low-income, immigrant and women who are victims of violence.

Program Highlights: At the morning plenary panel women will gain knowledge about the current crisis, and in the afternoon refine their critical skills at five interactive sessions. Local experts lead both sessions and are from community-based organizations, philanthropy, government and the corporate sector. Topics covered include *Training and skill-development *Entrepreneurial opportunities *Micro-enterprise *Labor trends *Financial management etc.

Details: Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009 Time: 9:30am – 4:00pm Location: Center for Employment and Training (CET) 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110 Free Parking. Childcare available on request.

REGISTER at : http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/76693 Ticket: $10.00 each. Lunch included. Pre-registration required for lunch. Or Send checks payable to: Cardea Center for Women P.O.Box 1121, Redwood City, CA 94064-1121 (Extra donation will cover cost of admission of women who can't afford to pay)

It would be awesome if you could help me to spread the word to your networks in the Bay Area. We want to make this an impactful event with great attendance!

Thank you! Mariah Cherniss 408-460-0245