On Wednesday, I joined several of my Teleflora colleagues at the Women’s Conference 2008 in Long Beach, CA. One of the nation’s largest women’s gatherings, the event drew 14,000 attendees. It was a great chance to connect, listen to amazing stories and get motivated to pursue your dreams. Oh, and see more than a few A-list celebrities (see below). This is a stone's throw away from LA, after all!
In addition to the conference sessions, there was also a huge exhibition hall, entertainment, shopping and snacks.
The Women’s Conference is a non-profit, non-partisan organization led by California First Lady Maria Shriver. With a mission of empowering, inspiring and educating women, the conference has formed partnerships, developed programs, and supported initiatives in California and beyond.
Thanks to the efforts of Joanne Milichich and her team at Glo White Florist, glowhiteflorist.com, Teleflora was able to donate more than 300 Sweet Pinks bouquets to this year's event. Sweet Pinks, pictured here, is among several Teleflora bouquets that help raise money for breast cancer research.
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Maria Shriver’s speech, about aging, finding real courage and becoming your authentic self, had the entire audience close to tears. I will share excerpts from her talk in upcoming posts. Her daughters gave an intro speech; her sons were in the audience.
She and husband Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger welcomed an incredible roster of speakers and guests including:
Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State
Dr. Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
Cherie Blair, human rights advocate and wife of former prime minister Tony Blair
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Christiane Amanpour of CNN
Chris Matthews of Hardball, MSNBC and The Chris Matthews Show, NBC
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer, PepsiCo.
Gloria Steinem
Bono, of U2 and co-founder of the ONE Campaign and (RED)
Diahann Carroll
Jamie Lee Curtis
Sally Field
Billie Jean King
Heidi Klum
Jennifer Lopez
Jenny McCarthy
Bonnie Raitt
Rachael Ray
Rita Wilson
To see a live webcast of the main stage sessions, view video highlights or to get more info, visit californiawomen.org.
Flower Fact of the Day: Teleflora donates 15% of the purchase price of each BCRF arrangement to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The partnership runs through August 31, 2009. To learn more, visit: teleflora.com/bcrf.asp.
