Women Veteran Retreat 

Registration is now open for the 2017 Women Veterans Retreat! The Women Veterans Retreat will be on May 19, 2017 in Eau Claire at Trinity Equestrian Center in the indoor arena.  Check-in will start at 9:30 a.m. with events running from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  

Our keynote speaker this year is Dajon Ferrell. Ferrell is a veteran who served in the Army National Guard for 13 years. After experiencing her own struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, due to military sexual trauma, she worked toward healing and found a path of choosing meditation over medication. Seeing a need for holistic healing modalities in the veteran community, Dajon created Warrior Lighthouse, a non-profit that provides veterans with mindfulness training to help restore and empower them so that they can create a healthy and purposeful life.

Following our speaker, the day will be filled with breakout sessions on alternative therapies you can try first hand. Activities include equine therapy, yoga, massage, acupuncture, life coaching, reiki, reflexology, TRE, and federal healthcare counseling. 

There is no cost to attend this event. For those interested in the Madison and Tomah areas, there will is an opportunity to ride in a VA van.  If you are interested in this please contact Libby Schmiedlin. 

For those traveling from outside the area, a block of rooms at the $82 state rate is available at the Best Western in Eau Claire. The Best Western offers a complimentary breakfast. The cut-off date for reservations under the room block is Monday, April 25, 2017.

Register today!

Meet a Woman Veteran Business Owner

C. Jill Clark-Mata Westosha Legacy Athletic Club

In December, we kicked off a new feature in this newsletter highlighting woman veteran business owners in a video that gives these business owners a chance to tell their story and share information about their business. Our goal is to highlight the women veterans in our community and support their businesses when possible.

This month our video introduces you to C. Jill Clark-Mata, owner of Westosha Legacy Athletic Club. Jill is an Air Force veteran who served in Aircrew Flight Equipment. After her time in the Air Force, fulfilled a lifelong dream to open her own gym.

“When I come in each day just thinking it’s still unreal, thinking oh my goodness this is my gym. We actually did it!” - C. Jill Clark-Mata

Our inaugural video featured Jessica Dragan, Army veteran and owner of Spa Massage on the Go. Our second video featured Maria Kovach, Air Force veteran and owner of Simply Stated Interiors. Our third video featured Lori Ford, Air Force veteran and owner of Wildflowyr Jewelry.

The Women Veterans Program is continually looking for women veteran business owners. In addition to networking with each other, we can share your story and information about your business with the greater veteran community in Wisconsin. 

Interested in joining our network? Email us today!

Woman Veteran of the Year Nominations Being Accepted

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Woman Veteran of the Year Award being presented the the Wisconsin Women Veterans Conference in September.  Last year we had several outstanding nominees and, as a result, the selection was difficult

 U.S. Air Force Veteran Cindy Brosig, pictured at left, was the 2016 award recipient, in part due to her dedication to veterans through getting her masters degree and starting her own non-profit to provide animal therapy to veterans.

 Be sure to nominate an outstanding women veteran for this year's award.  The nomination form can be found here.

Save the Date!

The 2017 Women Veterans Conference is fast approaching! This years conference will be held at the Radisson in La Crosse on September 26th and 27th. More information will be coming in future newsletters so keep your eyes open!