The Lorain County Section of National Council of Negro Women is celebrating over three decades of community service.
The 33rd annual Founders Day Luncheon took place Sept. 25 in the Reaser Ballroom in the Spitzer Conference Center at Lorain County Community College.
Regan Phillips is the current president of the Lorain County National Council of Negro Women.
Lorain native Janelle Jones, chief economist of U.S. Department of Labor, was the event’s keynote speaker.
Jones addressed the audience virtually as she was unable to physically attend.
The luncheon was centered around empowering moguls, including honoring nine female entrepreneurs who are shifting the stigma of what bosses look like in Lorain County.
The honorees include Keandra Booker, Wendy Caldwell, Marlayna Colon, Kimyatta Hawthorne, Shontae Jackson, Tracey Payton-Johnson, Arneatha Shannon, Parris Smith and Jessica Rogers.
Smith, 29, is the Lorain County Urban League president and CEO, and most recently became a certified housing counselor by the U.S. Department of Labor and Urban Development.
She said she was honored to receive the recognition.
“It was amazing to be honored and a real shock,” Smith said. “I’m extremely grateful.”
She said her goal is to inspire young adults in Lorain County.
“I promised to dedicate myself to make a difference so our young people can see others from the community invested and doing great work,” Smith said. “It’s always been about loving where I’m from, and ensuring I leave my own mark on my community.”
She advised others to cherish relationships and take chances.
“It’s important to trust mentors and people we surround ourselves with, even if we’re not sure at the moment,” Smith said. “The opportunities are there, we just have to seize the moment.”
Smith also is an inductee into the Prestigious Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry.
She said attributes all her success to faith and trust in God.
“I know it’s nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ that continues to put me in the right rooms and help me become who I’m destined to be,” Smith said.
The Lorain County National Council of Negro Women will host its newly instituted Cotillion Vision of Beauty on March 19, 2022, at Elegant Assets Historical Event Center, 1514 Lake Ave. in Elyria.
