UPDATE February 20, 2024 – INSPIRE has informed kawarthaNOW the International Women’s Day event scheduled for March 8, 2024 is no longer taking place, providing the following statement:
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project’s International Women’s Day Event is postponed. Refunds will be processed no later than March 31, 2024.”
Champion Canadian-Israeli athlete Leah Goldstein will share her story of overcoming bullies, sexism, terrorism and more to live a life without limits at INSPIRE’s second annual International Women’s Day event on March 8, 2024 in downtown Peterborough.
Organized by the not-for-profit organization INSPIRE: The Women’s Portrait Project, the event at the Holiday Inn Waterfront in downtown Peterborough will again feature six workshops for attendees along with the popular artisan fair.
According to photographer and INSPIRE founder Heather Doughty, last year’s inaugural International Women’s Day event “was a success beyond our wildest dreams.”
“We had the big hopes that everyone would have a wonderful experience and at the end of the day, when all of the participants and the keynote speaker were holding hands and dancing around the room, we knew we had created something magical,” Heather explains. “INSPIRE wants to build on that magic to create a day that attracts even more participants to celebrate all the amazing things that women do.”
That includes Leah Goldstein, the keynote speaker for the 2024 event. As a young girl growing up in Vancouver with new immigrant parents, she was bullied because of her accent, speech impediment, and a limp. Dreaming of becoming Bruce Lee and James Bond, she became the world kick boxing champion at the age of 17. In Israel, she was the first women to be enlisted into the Israeli Defense Force and became the first female elite commando instructor, which transitioned into a special forces unit to combat terrorism and violent crimes.
Goldstein moved back to Canada to pursue a cycling career and, ignoring advice she was too old to be a cyclist, she began winning races. In 2005, she suffered a terrible accident and was told she could never compete again. Instead, she began training on her own and went on to win many races, including the women’s solo category of the 3,000-mile Race Across America in 2011. Ten years later, at the age of 52, she made history as the first female solo cyclist to be the overall winner in the gruelling endurance race, with a time of 11 days, three hours, and three minutes.
VIDEO: “No Limits” documentary trailer
In 2015, Goldstein published her memoir No Limits, with a documentary film of the same name about her inspiring life story scheduled for release in 2023. As well as being a sought-after speaker, she volunteers her time to encourage women and youth, including by providing self-defence training and supporting at-risk youth boys and girls clubs.
Tickets for INSPIRE’s 2024 International Women’s Day event will go on sale in early November, with details about workshops coming soon.
“We wanted to get the event out into the community so that those interested can get the date in their calendars,” Heather says. “We encourage everyone to follow along on INSPIRE’s social media channels and bookmark our website to get the latest updates.”
Anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities for the event is encouraged to email info@inspirethewomensportraitproject.com.
For updates about INSPIRE’s International Women’s Day event, visit inspirethewomensportraitproject.com and follow INSPIRE on Facebook and Instagram.
