It’s been amazing!
In 2011, I had an idea to celebrate the women in our city. As I said back in that first feature: “Since we’ve managed to write about at least one amazing woman in every issue, I felt it was time to do something more concrete, more commemorative — create a celebration on our pages and off.”
And here we are 14 years later celebrating the 15th annual Amazing Airdrie Women Awards (AAW) on April 12, 2025, and WOW, we did not expect to still be so relevant, appreciated and anticipated!
We have 68 amazing Airdrie women (a new record!) nominated for their passion, drive, grit, empathy, attitude, contributions and so much more. Sometimes, it is as simple as being there when needed.
I’d like to share “Recipe for a Girl,” something that I love, which was written by an 11 year-old and shared recently on The Female Lead:
A pinch of pride
A spoonful of love
A pint of respect
2 cups of kindness
A tsp of sass
A handful of equality
Mix vigorously and bake at 250° for 15 mins. Serve with understanding.
I like to think our AAW nominees featured here and in every spring issue since 2011 are perfectly “made.”
This year, since airdrielife is celebrating its crystal anniversary, we have added an exciting element to the awards celebration — the chance to win an all-expense-paid, two-night stay at Sparkling Hill Resort in the Okanagan, valued at $2,500! All ticket holders will be automatically entered to win, but we want to offer more assistance to our AAW charity, Airdrie POWER. We always donate $10 from every ticket sold to Airdrie POWER, but we want to increase the donation by the end of the night with a few extra draws, including extra chances for the Sparkling Hill Resort prize, by guessing the number of “crystals” in the champagne glass, or help us raise funds by buying a ticket to win the crystal-themed gift basket worth more than $500.
As I write this (Feb. 1, 2025), Airdrie POWER is temporarily closed due to a lack of funding. That means women needing shelter from abusive situations have nowhere to go in Airdrie. This is unacceptable. Airdrie RCMP reported 667 domestics in 2024. And, according to statistics from the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, in Alberta, 74 per cent of Albertans report knowing at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted.
I hope that, by the time you read this, the day shelter is back open. It is a vital service.
While we celebrate 2025, we are also looking back with a commemorative digital magazine called 15 Amazing Years, featuring all 596 amazing nominees. It will be available in April. To get your exclusive early look, join the airdrielife a-list.
We lost one of our alumni this past year, Ilda Songhurst. Our condolences to her family. Ilda, like Jody Yakubowski, Jane Russell and Tracy Work, is forever in our hearts. Since 2021, Tracy’s mom, Doreen Kleisinger, and daughters, Emma and Kayla Work (and with additional donations from Pureform Radiology), keep a light shining on our “amazing angels” with our Tracy Work Memorial Pay-It-Forward program. Each recipient in 2025 receives $100 to donate to the charity of their choice. So far, we have donated $4,500 to the community.
Join us on April 12 at the Bert Church Theatre for the most amazing night of the year, but first, be sure to cast your votes as 40 per cent of the final decision is based on readers’ feedback. (The other 60 per cent is done by our past recipients, sponsors and editorial team.)
A sincere thank you to the amazing sponsors who make this entire program and gala possible. “It takes a village” is no understatement:
Sherry Shaw-Froggatt, Publisher and AAW Founder
Meet the 68 nominees and vote here
Buy tickets at tickets.airdrie.ca
HURRY, THIS EVENT SELLS OUT!
Learn more about Airdrie POWER and donate direct at airdriepower.com
