Tillsonburg chamber hosting women’s day event

Erika Polidori. (Contributed Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Although the event has yet to occur, it could easily be said that the Tillsonburg and District Chamber of Commerce hit a homerun with its latest event.

Empower Up, scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, which is the week preceding International Women’s Day, the event is the only Tillsonburg event for the international recognition of women. But, speaker Erika Polidori, who is an Olympic and Team Canada softball player, also adds to the baseball analogy for a first-class event.

Chamber executive director Rocio Salinas came up with the concept for the event, as something similar was run by the Norwich chamber, where she was previously executive director.

“It’s a celebration, especially for women in business,” she said. “The main focus is women, but it’s open to anyone.”

The morning will start with a marketplace for shopping and networking when the doors open at 10:30 a.m. Salinas sees the marketplace open to female vendors, including retailers, crafters, realtors or any product or service. A hot lunch will be served a noon, followed by Polidori’s presentation.

Living in Brantford, Polidori started playing in T-ball when she was six. She first played at the national level in 2010. Polidori was part of the Canadian team that won bronze at the Women’s Softball World Championship. Her .455 batting average in the 2015 Pan American games was a factor in Team Canada winning a gold. A Pan American silver followed in 2019 and an Olympic bronze in 2020 at the Tokyo games.

Polidori attended Oakland University in Michigan, studying nursing and playing collegiate ball.

For vendors, the cost is $85 for chamber members and $100 for non-members. The cost to attend is $30 for chamber members and $40 for non-members. Tickets are available from the chamber web site at tillsonburgchamber.ca