'The Rising Women Conference' takes place in Pittsburgh

Gisele Fetterman is among the moderators Friday at a conference celebrating women’s achievements.

The Rising Women Conference hosted by The Wild Rose Collective takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ace Hotel in East Liberty.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The Wild Rose Collective’s mission is to “create rituals, events and products to encourage the female-identifying torchbearers of today while remembering those who ignited the flames for change.”

“Our goal is to empower anyone identifying as a woman to dream bigger and achieve the lives and careers they deserve,” said Lindsey Smith of Hazelwood who is co-hosting the event with co-founder of The Wild Rose Collective, Quelcy Kogel of Polish Hill. “We’ll bridge together women from various industries, ages, and walks of life in order to learn from each other, uplift each other and build a stronger community in Pittsburgh and beyond.”

Other Speakers and panelists for the event include founders, CEOs, writers, a self-love coach, a war veteran, photographers, immigrants, mothers, women who overcame homelessness, a lawyer, and an all-female chamber ensemble. Fetterman is the founder of Freestore 15104 in Braddock, which provides food and clothing to people in need. She is married to state Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

“This is such a special conference because it’s so thoughtfully put together,” she told the Trib. “It’s by women, for women and inclusive of all women.”

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This next Rosie is the perfect moderator for our Rising Up panel! Gisele was born in Brazil and emigrated as a child to the US, living as an undocumented immigrant for over a decade. She didn’t let her circumstances dictate her desire to help others and be of service to her community. We are thrilled Gisele will be joining us!? • More about Gisele: Gisele Fetterman is an access and equity advocate, a hugger, the First Lady of Braddock, Pa and now, the Second Lady of Pennsylvania. She is the founder of Freestore 15104, where surplus and donated goods are received and redistributed to neighbors in need. The Freestore aims to eradicate food and clothing insecurity, and currently serves close to 1,600 clients a month. The Freestore has inspired 6 spin off locations and the birth of 412 Food Rescue. Gisele is the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, a community wide effort to end hunger and reduce food waste. 412 Food Rescue works with food retailers, wholesalers and other food providers to rescue un-sellable but perfectly good food to feed the food insecure. She is co-founder of For Good PGH, a non-profit that works to advocate inclusion and inspire kindness. Its first initiative, Hello Hijab, has received both national and international praise. Gisele was born in Brazil and emigrated as a child to the US, living as an undocumented immigrant for over a decade. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, TODAY Show, CNN, NPR, NY Post and more. Gisele is a Forty under 40 honoree, a Tedx Speaker and a mother of three.

A post shared by The Wild Rose Collective (@thewildroseco) on Mar 1, 2019 at 11:43am PST

Organizers expect 150 attendees.

“I feel the amount of support by women who wanted to be involved is amazing, “ Smith said. “It is so important to be a part of the celebration of International Women’s Day.

Tickets are $149.

Details: https://thewildroseco.com