Springfield Women's Commission finalizes honorees, logistics for March 6 International Women's Day event

Commission leaders on Thursday continued planning for the Springfield Women's Commission’s International Women’s Day event, set for March 6 at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall’s second-floor School Committee Room. "The purpose of this meeting is to continue discussion of our event for International Women's Day," the Commission chair said.

The commission confirmed that Dr. Sonia Dinwell, superintendent of schools, and Reverend Catherine Cummings would be among the adult honorees and that Ayanna Rodriguez had accepted an invitation as the youth representative. The commission is holding one adult slot open pending confirmation of a third nominee recommended by Council Vice President Tracy Whitfield. "We don't want more than that — three adults and a student," the Commission chair said.

Why it matters: the event recognizes local women for work in education and community service and involves the city council, school leadership and other civic organizations. Commissioners said they want a short program, with one representative from each invited delegation speaking to avoid an overly long agenda.

Program and honorees: commissioners discussed handing out tributes rather than long proclamations and agreed to prepare individual, brief tributes tailored to each recipient. The commission plans to present flowers and a tangible gift for each honoree; suggested items included medals with engraved backs and locally made glass awards. The group discussed colors and branding tied to the International Women's Day theme — purple, green and white — and asked the council office to help prepare invitation language that echoes the 2025 theme “Accelerate Action.”

Gifts and estimated costs: commissioners reported prior local pricing examples to guide purchases: small glass awards were described as about $5–$10 per unit if ordered in bulk; medal examples discussed cost about $7 each with engraving. Commissioners agreed to seek in-kind gifts where possible and to follow up with the council office about any city-supplied items. One commissioner offered to contribute to costs personally if needed.

Entertainment and program flow: the commission discussed several local performers for a short musical or spoken-word segment, including singer Alana Milner and spoken-word artist Lynette Johnson, but noted some performers may require a fee. Commissioners emphasized keeping the program short so the event ends close to 4:30 p.m.

Refreshments and donations: for a 3:30 p.m. event, commissioners favored simple, portable refreshments — boxed cookies and bottled water with themed stickers — to avoid pouring or cleanup. They discussed local businesses that might donate or sell refreshments (Jen's Organics was suggested as a woman-owned vendor) and considered using modest funds or member contributions if donations were not available. Commissioners noted cookie boxes were available online for about $6 per box and that city paper goods might be available from the council office.

Budget and future funding: several members raised the idea of requesting a small, recurring line item in the city budget (FY26 was mentioned) to support commission activities instead of relying indefinitely on donated goods and ad-hoc member contributions.

Logistics, invitations and follow-ups: the commission will invite city council and school committee leadership, but limit speakers to one representative from each delegation. Staff or the council office will draft invitation language; commissioners requested a floral-themed, feminine design consistent with the IWD color palette. Outstanding follow-ups included confirming the third adult honoree, finalizing the invitation text and confirming any donated refreshments or purchased awards.

Next steps: the commission set a follow-up meeting for Feb. 25 to finalize the program, invitations and logistics. "By that time, we'll have the agenda, the program and the invitations sent out," the Commission chair said.

Ending note: commissioners emphasized a compact, celebratory program that honors the honorees while limiting the number of speakers and the event length.