State Women Veterans Conference set for Sunriver Resort

“We Rise” is the theme of the 10th Oregon Women Veterans Conference, a free event open to all Oregon veterans, which celebrates the strength, diversity and achievements of our nation’s female warriors. This year’s event will be held at Sunriver Resort in April.

The theme is meant to encapsulate the spirit of all generations of the Oregon women veteran community, from the trail blazers who answered their country’s call during the darkest hours of World War II with the refrain, “We Can Do That!,” to the brave heroes of the most recent conflicts in the Middle East, who continue to break ground and refuse to be confined to outdated notions of what a woman warrior is capable of.

“For many, those challenges and that adversity continued even after we left the military and still, we rise,” said ODVA Women Veterans Coordinator Elizabeth Estabrooks. “For 20 years, it has been the distinct pleasure of Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs to offer this event as a safe space where women veterans can learn, gather, make new friends, and reconnect with old friends, and our goal is to make this the best year yet.”

The Oregon Women Veterans’ Conference will take place on April 26-28 at Sunriver Resort. Registration is now open for attendees and vendors. For more information, or to register, please visit wvc.oregondva.com.

Since its inception in 1998, the event has blossomed into the state’s largest conference and networking opportunity for women who have served or are currently serving in the military. Its purpose is to bring together women veterans of every branch, background and all walks of life to meet, to learn about and gain access to important benefits they have earned and to hear stories of other women veterans who came before them or have walked in their footsteps.

This year’s conference includes several deliberate decisions to make the event more accessible and inclusive of all women veterans. Central Oregon was chosen as the location to make it easier for many women veterans to attend from all over the state (instead of just those in the Willamette Valley). In choosing speakers, workshops and panels, the conference organizers have sought to highlight and celebrate the incredible diversity that defines and unites the women veteran community.

“We wanted to honor and recognize that the population of women veterans includes women who are LGBTQ, women of color, tribal women, immigrant women, women with disabilities, young women and elderly women,” Estabrooks said. “We choose to honor that women veterans are strong even in the broken places, and that is what makes us different from virtually every other woman out there.”

The conference also seeks to once again recognize the outstanding work being done by many women veterans by naming a 2018 Women Veteran of the Year. Nominations are now being accepted at wvc.oregondva.com. Nominations are due by March 30.

Finally, a number of scholarships have been made available for first-time attendees who need financial assistance with travel and lodging costs. Applications can be submitted online at wvc.oregondva.com and are due by Feb. 28.