Stronger as One: A Night for Women to Rise Together
by: Deborah Bostock-Kelley

Tampa Bay Exceptional Women, a networking community built on connection, collaboration, and meaningful impact, is inviting women across the region to gather for an evening rooted in purpose and solidarity. Vision 2 Action: Stronger as One will take place March 5 at Brio Italian Restaurant, uniting the TBEW sisterhood and the greater Tampa Bay community during International Women’s Day to support Survivor Ventures, a nonprofit helping women rebuild their lives after surviving trafficking and exploitation. The evening is designed to be warm, welcoming, and deeply meaningful — a reminder that showing up can change someone’s future.

TBEW meets monthly, offering women a space to grow their businesses within a culture of encouragement and accountability. Those gatherings create a foundation of trust that carries into every initiative the group leads, including this fundraiser. Women step into the room knowing they are seen, valued, and supported.

Survivor Ventures equips survivors with the resources necessary to reclaim their independence. The organization provides safe housing, trauma-informed counseling, financial literacy education, life skills training, and employment pathways that help women move from crisis to stability. Many survivors arrive with little more than determination. Survivor Ventures meets them with dignity, choice, and support that honors their strength, helping them rebuild not only stability, but confidence and possibility.

Guests will enjoy small plates, a signature drink, and intentional conversation throughout the evening. Keynote speaker Tiffany McGee, President and Founder of Survivor Ventures, will share the mission that drives her work and the stories of resilience that fuel it. Her presence underscores the impact that every ticket, sponsorship, and vendor partnership can make.

“TBEW is a movement, not just a meetup. This event is our way of celebrating that mission with the whole Tampa Bay community of women,” explains TBEW co-founder and president Liat Zohar. “Vision 2 Action: Stronger as One is an evening where women stand for one another building connections, forming friendships, and uniting to support and uplift a women's organization in the Tampa Bay area.”

Linda Menke founder and vice president adds, “Vision to Action: Stronger as One is about turning purpose into progress by bringing women together to uplift one another and give back, we are creating real impact for women in our community and the survivors we support.”

Women are invited to attend and stand in collective strength. TBEW welcomes women from every industry, background, and stage of life to be part of an evening that blends connection with action. Attending is an expression of solidarity — and a tangible way to support survivors who deserve safety, opportunity, and hope.

Sponsors are invited to align their businesses with a cause that transforms lives. Their support expands the reach of Survivor Ventures and ensures more women gain access to critical resources. Businesses that step forward position themselves within a movement defined by empowerment, healing, and community leadership.

Women-owned businesses are encouraged to participate as vendors, showcasing their creativity and entrepreneurship in a space designed to uplift women building something of their own. Each vendor contributes to the atmosphere of celebration while reinforcing the event’s deeper purpose.

Jackie Lucal, TBEW secretary says, “This inspiring evening honors International Women’s Day with connection, storytelling, and meaningful support for survivors rebuilding their lives.”

Vision 2 Action: Stronger as One is a fundraiser and a declaration that women are strongest when they rise together. TBEW invites the community to attend, sponsor, or vend; to help create lasting change for survivors whose futures deserve to be defined by possibility.

TBEW meets monthly in Carrollwood on the first Friday morning (Brunchies) and third Wednesday evening (Glory Days) for networking. Learn more at https://tbew.org/become-a-member and https://tbew.org/vision-to-action-stronger-as-one

In addition to writing for North Tampa Buzz, Deborah Bostock-Kelley is a local Broadway World theatre reviewer, a reporter for several magazines, and a theatre columnist. She is honored to be the marketing director for Powerstories Theatre since 2000. She has run her award-winning creative services agency, The WriteOne Creative Services, since 2005, specializing in print and television PR, graphic design, web design, and copywriting. The author of a children's early reader and a teen YA fiction anthology, she is also a multi-award-winning playwright known for her powerful, socially conscious one-act and full-length plays, which have been seen across Tampa Bay stages. In her free time, she produces Life Amplified, a musical showcase with all proceeds benefiting local grassroots nonprofits. Her next play, a menopause comedy and event, debuts at the Studio at Carrollwood Cultural Center on March 7. Deborah is a proud ally, wife, mom, past educator, Florida native, and University of Tampa graduate. www.thewriteonecs.com