Business and Professional Women Hastings Prince Edward, in partnership with the United Nations Association in Canada Quinte Branch, held a celebration in honour of International Women’s Day.
The event drew a packed crowd, filling all 200 seats at The Grand in Belleville, and attracted a crowd including local politicians and other prominent members of the community.
The guest speaker for the night was Michele Leering, Executive Director and lawyer at the Community Advocacy and Legal Center, and member of the Order of Canada.
Michele Leering addresses the crowd of 200 community members at The Grand on International Women’s Day.
During her speech to the audience, Leering spoke about many topics. One topic she spoke about was being nominated for the Order of Canada. She shared how humbling it was, and also shared how she didn’t believe at first she’d actually been nominated.
“Receiving this award came as a complete surprise to me, I thought the phone call I received in the midst of the pandemic was a crank call or some kind of scam. I thought they had the wrong person,” said Leering. “Once I got over the shock, and learned more about the Order of Canada my first reaction was to think of all the people, particularly women, who deserved this award far more than I ever could.”
Leering also spoke about her work with the Community Advocacy and Legal Centre, and mentioned how much she values the chance to work directly on a cause she believes in, helping disadvantaged people with their legal troubles.
“Not every lawyer gets to do work that’s so closely aligned with their values, or gets to experiment with creative and innovative approaches to working in community, seeking to work on intractable societal problems from the motivation of justice rather than charity,” said Leering
Leering concluded her speech by sharing some quotes she took inspiration from, and urged listeners not to give up on whatever their goals are, even when the path towards them gets difficult.
Karen Poste, manager of Physician Recruitment and Retention for the City of Belleville addresses the crowd after being honoured for her contributions to the community.
The event also honoured Karen Poste, manager of Physician Recruitment and Retention for the city of Belleville, for her many contributions to the community over her long career with the city.
