IEEW Gains Coppermark Bank As Sponsor
June 9th, 2009 Posted by admin
Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women
Dr. Terry Neese, Founder / CEO
2709 W. I-44 Service Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-943-4474
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 5, 2009
Contact: Becca Colbaugh
Office: 405-943-4474
E-mail: [email protected]
Coppermark Bank Supports The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women Through $5,000 Sponsorship for Travel to Rwanda
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 5, 2009 - The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women has announced the addition of Coppermark Bank to its International Ambassador sponsorship level. Coppermark generously sponsored two members of the Institute’s Rwanda delegation team.
The team traveled to Rwanda to meet the Institute’s 2009 Peace through Business® students ahead of their arrival in August to the United States.
Coppermark donated $5,000 for Mary Mélon, publisher of the Journal Record, and Darcie Harris, president of EWF International, to travel to Kigali, Rwanda in early May.
“Helping people be successful is a core value for Coppermark Bank,” said Jacque Fiegel, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer for Coppermark. “The Peace through Business program of helping women be successful complements Coppermark’s overall support of Women in Business. We are fortunate to participate in a program that teaches business skills and provides mentoring opportunities to women that might not otherwise develop the necessary attributes to be a successful leader.”
The Institute is a non-profit public charity dedicated to the economic empowerment of women worldwide through education, coaching, and mentorship through its Peace through Business program. Mélon and Harris were invaluable as delegates of the Institute’s five-member team that traveled to Kigali to participate in the wrap-up of the first major component of the 2009 Peace through Business program in Rwanda: an intensive eight-week, In-Country Education business course for 30 selected women.
Mélon and Harris participated in the In-Country Education graduation ceremony, as well as a lecture series. The women also visited each of the businesses of the top 15 students selected to travel to the United States in August for the next component of the program, Leadership Development: a week of high-level discussions with experts on specific business, leadership, and public policy topics, followed by an International Women’s Economic Summit at Northwood University in Dallas, Texas, and one week of mentorship with American women business owners. The students will live and work with business women not only in Oklahoma and Texas, but also throughout the United States.
After visiting Rwanda, Mélon described a strong sisterly connection she felt with the Rwandan women.
“We talked and laughed a lot - and even cried a little,” Mélon recalled. “There is such a strong connection we feel for each other. We are truly sisters, though my life has been so very different from theirs.”
Harris arrived at a similar conclusion, as she noted that despite culture or country, women share common ground.
“On the evening that we presented the leadership training, I stepped outside between presentations for some fresh air,” Harris remembered. “One of the students from last year walked past, then turned around to tell me, ’I live just around the corner and my daughter is sick. I have to run home and give her her medication, then I’ll be right back.’ These are the lives of women, no matter where we live. I love that we have so much common ground.”
Terry Neese, founder and CEO of the Institute, said that it is because of sponsors like Coppermark, the Institute is able to achieve its mission.
“Peace through Business is funded through the generosity of the private sector,” Neese said. “Corporations and American women business owners understand that an economically sound country has a much greater capacity for peace. The Institute believes that women are the engine driving the economy. Coppermark understands this philosophy and has been a very strong supporter of this Institute and the women’s business community in Oklahoma.”
Coppermark is an individually owned financial company with full-service branches throughout the state of Oklahoma and the northern Dallas area. The bank serves more than 25,000 customers within the United States and many foreign countries, according to its Web site. As a midsized company, Coppermark was presented with the OK Ethics Compass Award in 2007.
For more information about the Institute and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.ieew.org.
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