On Friday, we held our sixth annual Ladies’ Night, bringing together more than 200 immigrant and refugee women for a celebration in honor of International Women’s Day.
“Our clients look forward to this event all year,” said Community Connections coordinator Andrea Loewen. “The ladies we work with have stories filled with hope, pain, perseverance, and resilience. This evening is a chance for all of us—guests, volunteers, and staff—to come and celebrate our stories and cultures together.”
The Community Connections Program at ACS supports newcomers with a wide range of settlement needs, including life skills classes, social activities and connections with volunteers through a friendship-based matching program designed to build relationships and a sense of community.
Performances at the event included hip-hop dancing by Yobdee Marazzi and Chinese traditional dancing by Dream Maker Dance Studio. The evening also featured dinner, dessert and break-out sessions that included chair yoga, jewelry making, art, DIY body scrubs, hair styling, bhangra, and Zumba. Free childcare was offered for women who attended.
Thank you to Central Heights Church for kindly providing the space, and to our event sponsors, supporters, performers, and volunteers, including:
- Abbotsford Food Bank
- ACS Family Centre
- Delish Catering
- Advantage Food Service
- Gurdwara Kalgidhar Darbar
- Cobbs Bread
- David’s Tea
- Starbucks
- Chatters Hair Salon
- Deysi Garcia
- Navi Randhawa
- Beth Person
- Alexandra Klassen
- Inder Singh and Jessy Singh
- Luciana Silva
- Yobdee Marazzi
- Dream Maker Dance Studio
- Taneya Spielman
