Women across Southwest Louisiana are invited to come together in a bold and unique way.

The Women’s Commission of Southwest Louisiana annual fall conference is set for Thursday, Oct. 19, and is designed to promote empowerment, sisterhood and more.

Organizers of the event say attendees will leave stronger than when they came in.

Commission President Velika Trahan said the group was formed in 1990 to give women a chance to gather and uplift each other.

“It started off as a small group of ladies and then expanded into what it is now with 61 ladies involved,” Trahan said.

The group meets monthly to “passionately pursue growth and partnership in our community” while also planning the annual empowerment conference.

“I look at the conference as a day for women to come out and really relax and focus on their spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs. It’s a day of empowerment, but also a way to connect to other women within our community.”

Cynthia Roy said the commissioners fund raise all year to be able to hold to give attendees this time to celebrate.

As this year’s event chair, Roy was tasked with coming up with this year’s theme: “Southern Grit.”

“I was thinking about the term ‘moral compass,’ which led me to think about direction and as a Realtor I look at survey maps all day so I started thinking about north and south and then it came to me — Southern Grit,” she said. “Grit means to me ‘Give it your all; Redo if necessary; Ignore giving up; and Take the time to do it right.”

Roy said the theme signifies the strength and determination necessary to achieve goals while utilizing the grace southern women are known to have.

“Southern Grit also celebrates our region,” she added. “We’re going all out southern-style. We have a young man named Wyatt East of Grand Lake who will play the national anthem on the accordion. BrickHouse is our caterer and they’re going to be serving a southern menu, and we’ll be selling Cajun seasoning as part of our fundraising. There’s going to be everything southern from food to decorations.”

The theme also happens to be the perfect tie-in to this year’s conference speaker, “Duck Dynasty” star Korie Robertson.

Robertson is a New York Times best-selling author, co-owner of Tread Lively Productions, works at the Duck Commander family business, and is passionate about motherhood, adoption and empowering families from her home base in West Monroe.

Roy said this year’s workshop offerings are “pretty exciting,” as well.

“There’s a line-dancing class, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is hosting a workshop, local author Pamela Thibodeaux (who is a classmate of mine’s sister) is doing a workshop on journaling, and there’s also a paint-your-own door hanger workshop,” Roy said.

Among offerings is the American Press-sponsored “Our Tracked Life — We Know Where You’ve Been” workshop on how consumers can have more control over pop-up ads that bombard them after their internet searches.

“These workshops are really a way to let your hair down,” Trahan said. “It’s a way to get away from the stress at work, the stress with the kids and the day-to-day stuff.”

Vendors will also be on hand, selling everything from jewelry, clothing and makeup to sweets and treats.

“This is a good time to go Christmas shopping and we’ll have vendors selling candles, homemade jewelry, books, a good variety of things,” Trahan said. “You can go shopping and you get a little pick-me-up, as well.”

More than 50 vendors have registered for the MarketPlace offering and there’s still time for more to sign up. For information, email marketplace@womenscommissionswla.com

Tickets are available, too, and are $40 online at womenscommissionswla.com through Oct. 13. The price will be $52 at the door.

Roy said proceeds from the conference are used to fund four scholarships — two at McNeese State University and two at Sowela Technical Community College — for nontraditional female students.

“Someone who is not your typical 19-year-old, just-graduated-from-high school student,” Roy said. “Someone who has maybe fallen on hard times or someone like a single mom who’s decided to further their education and go back to college,” Roy said.

“Life happens and many women may think, ‘College is something I want to pursue,’ and this gives them an opportunity to do that,” Trahan said. “It’s women supporting women. Being able to go back to school after you’ve been married, after you’ve had kids, if you want to break out of a dead-end job, this is an extra boost that really goes a long way.”

The scholarship applications are available in the counselor’s offices at both schools, Trahan said.

Also at the conference, a service award named after the late educator and football coach Jack V. Doland will be presented. The commission will give a $1,000 donation in the recipient’s name to the charity of their choice, Roy said.

Trahan she’s most looking forward to providing women a “full experience” with the conference.

“Where are you in your life? We want to be able to celebrate the milestones that you’ve made within yourself,” Trahan said. “That means more to us. To see the smiling faces and really mingle with the participants will be the icing on the cake for the day.”