YONKERS, N.Y. — Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, corresponding with the celebration of Persons Day on October 18.
In the United States, Women's History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981, when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as "Women's History Week". Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women's History Week". In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women's History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9, which designated the month of March 1987 as "Women's History Month". Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women's History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as "Women's History Month".
In light of Women's History Month, YWCA Yonkers (https://www.ywcayonkers.org) (an affiliate of YWCA USA) is honoring extraordinary women, who have paved the way as phenomenal leaders and role models in Yonkers, New York and its surrounding communities. On Thursday, March 21, 2019, from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. ET, YWCA Yonkers and Chief Executive Officer Charlie Knight will present the 2019 Spirit of a Woman Awards ceremony and banquet. The event will be held at The Riverview, 1 Warburton Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706, under the coordination of Toni Knight and Latesia "Lv" Horton.
This year's honorees are New York State Senator Shelly Mayer (37th Senate District, which includes portions of Westchester County); Dr. Belinda Miles (President, Westchester Community College — a State University of New York (SUNY) institution); Joan King (CEO, Little Kings & Queens Daycare); Kate Washton (Licensed Clinical Social Worker); Overseer Hazel Perry (City of the Lord's Praise Temple); and Hazel Alexander-Campbell (Director of Job Development, Westchester Community Opportunity Program).
The host for the event is Diane Atkins (Former First Deputy Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Social Services), and the keynote speaker is 9-time Emmy Award winner Mary Calvi (First Lady of Yonkers, New York; Co-Anchor of CBS2 This Morning and CBS2 At Noon, WCBS-TV in New York City). Multiple award-winning media personality Shefik will host the event's live stream, which will start at 5 p.m. ET. The stream can be viewed at ywcayonkers.org.
Shefik will share his live stream hosting duties with members of the P.E.A.R.L. program from YWCA Yonkers. The program focuses on building a foundation for girls between the ages of 10 to 18 years old, and the program provides a fun and safe place for teens to be themselves, as they navigate through teen life. Tevin Taylor will be on-hand as a Production Assistant for the live stream.
"This is actually one of my favorite YWCA events," says Kimberly James, P.E.A.R.L. Program Coordinator at YWCA Yonkers. "It serves as a great source of inspiration for the 'Pearls', because they get a chance to experience the community celebrating women from all walks fo life, hear their stories of triumph, and know that they too have what it takes to become the best version of themselves."
Shefik currently serves as a Lead Developer at NBC Sports (a programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned by the NBCUniversal Television Group), where he is architecting and developing critical systems for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics. It is apparent that Shefik is on the cutting edge of multimedia, as he also serves as Executive Producer and Host of the nationally syndicated radio show and internationally syndicated video series, "Shefik presents Invocation" (https://invocation.co), a mesmerizing and thought-provoking journey through musical discovery and appreciation that spans the decades. With an audience of over half a million listeners monthly, the radio show is currently broadcast on 21 terrestrial radio stations and frequencies throughout the United States.
As a videographer and producer, Shefik's work has been featured in widespread television broadcasts and video productions for The Washington Center, TEDx Talks, "Unsung" (TV One), Broadway World, and a major television station in New York City. Additionally, his photography has been featured in print and online publications, such as Daily Mail (United Kingdom), Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Playbill, and China Press, as well as over 100 other websites in China. As of this writing, "Shefik presents Invocation" has won over 34 industry awards (for audio, video, and website), many of which were awarded at the highest level.
While previously serving as Techical Producer at TIME magazine and its accompanying website time.com, Shefik produced the live blog coverage for high-profile events, such as the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, "American Idol" season finale, as well as the historic election of President Obama in 2008.
YWCA is the country's oldest and largest women's membership movement. The Yonkers affiliate is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serving women, girls, and their families in Yonkers and lower Westchester County, New York. Located in a community of rapidly increasing diversity, YWCA Yonkers welcomes all women, children, and their families to join as members or participants, as the organization fulfills their mission through programs and services.
YWCA Yonkers first opened its doors in 1892, offering supportive housing to single women. For over a century, the organization has served and taken action on behalf of women and girls. The organization is a mission driven, multicultural, and ethnically diverse organization, that currently offers an empowerment program designed to help low-income individuals achieve self-sufficiency, a one-stop childcare center for children of all ages, as well as housing and support services for women, youth, and seniors. With programs that accommodate every age group, the organization's "cradle to grave" services strengthen each individual served, while also impacting the community at large.
Media Contacts
Shefik
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 548-5033
shefik@allknightaccess.com
Toni Knight
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 645-4830
toni.knight@allknightaccess.com
Last Updated: May 30, 2021
