Networking Day Brings Women, Nonprofits Together

Members of the dance group, The Red Hot Mamas, perform during last year’s Women’s Networking Day at the Larkfield in East Northport.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The Town of Huntington and Island Better Hearing will once again sponsor the annual Women’s Networking Day in East Northport to encourage nonprofits and female business owners from around Huntington to interact with the public and one another.

Chairwomen of the Women’s Advisory Council Rhonda Shepardson, a Huntington resident, said the event was originally created to benefit the council’s nonprofit members.

“Sixteen years ago the nonprofit groups asked if we could organize an event to help them increase public awareness of their work with residents in the town,” Shepardson said.

Over the course of 16 years, Shepardson said the event has evolved to also offer an environment where members of different nonprofit groups can network with each other and share ideas. The event is expected to include representatives from around 30 nonprofits that focus on issues primarily affecting women, such as the Family Service League, the Dolan Family Health Center and the Huntington Breast Cancer Coalition.

The event will also feature an awards ceremony during which the town board will honor five Huntington women for their exceptional work in the community, according to Shepardson.

“We have access to the entire Larkfield, and we are expecting to have around 450 people at the networking day,” Shepardson said.

In addition to the nonprofits, Shepardson said there will also be booths that display products from female business owners.

Women’s Networking Day is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Larkfield (507 Larkfield Road, East Northport). Tickets cost $12 ($10 for seniors). The networking portion of the event will run from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. after which lunch will be served. The awards ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m.