Greater Milwaukee Women of the ELCA

30th Annual SWO Convention

Saturday, October 14, 2017
Ascension Lutheran Church 1236 S. Layton Blvd. (27th Street)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

THEME: STRONG WOMEN ADVOCATE

Scripture Verse: Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m.
Voting Member Orientation at 8:15 a.m.
Opening Worship begins at 8:30 a.m.

Ascension An exciting opening Worship (led by the Rev. Logan Vang) begins at 8:30 with the Hmong Worship Band to lead us in some exciting music.

Our Keynote Speaker will be Deanne Lawson with a focus on Human Trafficking. Deanne is the Founder and Executive Director of the Inner Beauty Center located on Milwaukee’s Southside. Deanne’s husband was pastor of a church on 15th and Lincoln for 15 years and it was during this time that the Inner Beauty Center was conceived and bought into existence. She is the mother of 3 and has been a RN in women’s health for 27 years of her 29 years as a nurse.

Bishop Paul Erickson will bring greetings on behalf of the Greater Milwaukee Synod.

Anissa Canova, our Churchwide representative, from Gouldsboro, PA will bring us greetings from the Churchwide Staff and Board.

Workshop Opportunities:

Strong Women Prevent Bad Health … Presenter: Ka Lovang. Ka has been with the Southeast Asian Educational Development, Inc. working as a Community Health Worker for the Milwaukee Consortium for Hmong Health since February 2016. Ka was with the consortium when the Healthy Hmong Women project was only a pilot in 2010-2012. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Human Services Degree. Always advocating for women’s health, she’s worked in the non-profit sector 19 years.

Change in the shadow of Complex trauma … Presenter: Deanne M. Lawson. We all experience trauma to some degree during our lives and are able to make healthy decisions. In this workshop we’ll explore how ongoing and complex trauma affects the life changing decision to exit drug addiction, prostitution and human trafficking.

Face-to-Face with the Bishop … Presenter: Bishop Paul Erickson. This workshop will give us the opportunity to become acquainted with Bishop Paul as he shares his dreams for the Greater Milwaukee Synod with us. You will have the opportunity to ask him questions about the state of our Synod and the ELCA.

Hope Network for Single Mothers … Presenter: Gail Grenier Sweet. Gail is the founder of the Hope Network which is celebrating it 35th Anniversary of serving families headed by single mothers in the Greater Milwaukee. Gail founded Hope as an alternative to abortion, demonstrating to local mothers that the community embraces them and their children. Gail has been married 4 years and has 3 children and 6 grandsons. She writes books and shares the profits with HOPE. She is in her 25th year of teaching creative writing at Waukesha County Technical College. Our In-Kind-Gifts will be given to the Hope Network … see page 5 for a complete list of items needed.

Anti-Racism … Presenter: Anissa Canova. Anissa, our Churchwide Representative, is also a member of the Anti-Racism educators’ network of Women of the ELCA, Today’ Dream Tomorrow’s Reality (TDTR).

Insights from the Milwaukee Police Department … Presenter: Gerardo Orozco. Gerardo was born and raised on the Northside of Milwaukee and has worked on the department for a total of 8-years.

There will be vendors and displays available for you … Mt. Meru Coffee … Thrivent Financial … Tseem Tseem Hmoob (authentic Hong items). The Convention Committee is still searching for more vendors.

Morning snacks will be provided by the ladies from Ascension Lutheran Church. Our noon luncheon will be catered from the Thai Bangkok restaurant.

2017 SWO CONVENTION IN-KIND GIFTS
In-kind gifts will be collected for Hope Network for Single Mothers
 Baby Wipes
 Diapers (especially sizes: newborn, 1, 4, 5 and pull ups
 Baby bath items including, shampoo and lotion
 Diaper rash ointments
 Board books and books for 0-2 years of age
 Gift cards for Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer and Pick ‘n Save
 Onesies short and long sleeve
 Pajamas, especially now going into fall and winter
 Clothing items for children of all ages are welcome … especially anything for colder weather

The 2017 Convention Registration Form can be found here

The 2017 Convention Scholarship Form can be found here

The 2017 Convention SWO Board Nomination Form can be found here

A recap of the 2013 Greater Milwaukee SWO Convention can be found here.

A recap of the 2014 Greater Milwaukee SWO Convention can be found here.

A recap of the 2015 Greater Milwaukee SWO Convention can be found here.

A recap of the 2016 Greater Milwaukee SWO Convention can be found here.