2009 Cheyenne"Friendraiser"
Cheyenne, Wyoming
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation hosted its annual Friendraiser luncheon in Cheyenne on Feb. 9, 2009. The luncheon was a wild success, with over 150 people attending.
The luncheon was held in the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne. The large ballroom housed tables set with light pink tablecloths and WyWF and State Farm swag, including letterhead to-do lists, pens and manicure sets.
Perhaps the most important component at each setting was a WyWF pledge card. Julie Stone, the emcee of the event and a member of the WyWF board, implored those in attendance to give simply what they would have paid for the lunch they received. Her efforts did not go unrewarded; in all, the foundation received nearly $7,000 from luncheon goers. The generous donations will be put to use at the WyWF almost immediately.
Lynne Boomgaarden, the director of the Wyoming State Lands and Investments Administration, gave the moving keynote speech while attendees munched on club sandwiches for lunch and brownie sundaes for dessert. Boomgaarden relived her experiences as a woman leader in a man’s state, from being the first woman to lasso the top spot on the prestigious Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee, to the internal struggle she faced when asked to choose between her current career and her teaching spot at the University of Wyoming. Always articulate, Boomgaarden used personal experience to shed light on the lack of confidence women suffer from when competing against men. She titled her speech “The Art of Living,” and in the end it was just that; a reflection on how to live artfully and fearlessly as a woman in Wyoming.
The annual Friendraiser luncheon grows each year, and 2009 was no exception. As the dust settles in the WyWF office after a busy week of events, our eyes are now focused on making Friendraiser 2010 even better. Keep your eyes open for invitations!
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