Courtney Godfrey, a reporter for the Fox 9 TV station in the Twin Cities, will be the guest speaker at the WoW Expo on Nov. 2.

The 19th Annual Southern Minnesota Women of Worth WoW Expo will be held at the Blue Earth Area High School on Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no admission charge.

This year the featured speaker will be Courtney Godfrey who is a reporter for Fox 9 TV station in the Twin Cities.

Godfrey grew up in California as a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona and holds a Masters of Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

Godfrey had a life-changing event in 2017 when she was involved in a serious boating accident which resulted in the loss of her left leg below her knee. Since the accident, she has become an active member of the amputee community as well as a World Cup para-snowboard athlete.

Godfrey serves on the board of the amputee nonprofit, Wiggle Your Toes. She also makes frequent hospital visits to new amputees.

Godfrey is known for sharing her story of resilience and equipping people with the tools they need for adapting to change.

“We are looking forward to hearing how she persevered in the face of adversity,” WoW president Kristin Woodwick says.

The Southern Minnesota WoW Expo not only helps raise funds to support survivors of domestic abuse in southern Minnesota, it also works to remind women and survivors of their indisputable value.

As WoW’s mantra states, “I am a woman of worth. Southern Minnesota Women of Worth shall be for the good and betterment of families of rural southern Minnesota, through continued education about abuse, neglect and violence that takes place in rural areas, along with financial support of the programs designed to help all victims of abuse.”

The WoW Expo is the organization’s only annual fundraiser. It helps raise necessary funds to fulfill that mantra.

“It is a chance to support a good cause,” Woodwick comments. “We try and make it an uplifting day for women and it is a chance for them to see what WoW is all about.”

The year’s expo is the largest to date and opens promptly at 9 a.m. with over 50 vendor booths (up from 30 last year) representing both causes and home-based businesses.

“Some are local vendors,” Woodwick shares. “But, we also have vendors that travel from as far away as Mankato, Albert Lea, Fairmont and Spirit Lake, Iowa.”

Food and drink will also be available during the event. Coffee will be provided by Cabin Coffee, and lunch will be catered by the P-Pod.

The WoW Expo’s annual makeover reveal will take place at 11:30 a.m.

Two women, Staci Thompson, and her daughter Taylor, have been selected for the honor this year after an anonymous nomination.

Their new, head-to-toe looks will feature new outfits from Maurice’s in Fairmont, and a hairstyling session courtesy of Lakeside Salon and Spa, also of Fairmont. These were sponsored by Edward Jones – Chase Brandt. Nicole Bell will be on hand at the Expo to do Staci and Taylor’s makeup.

The festivities continue with Godfrey taking the microphone at 1 p.m.

Expo attendees who support WoW by watching Godfrey’s presentation and the makeover reveals, as well as by shopping the selection of vendors, can be assured their donations are funding a worthwhile cause.

So far this year, Southern Minnesota WoW has donated $9,700 in funds to southern Minnesota survivors.

Woodwick hopes plenty of people will consider donating time and funds to WoW’s Expo to help Southern Minnesota WoW in its mission to combat more deaths by domestic violence.

“It could happen to anybody,” Woodwick says. “You may even know somebody who is going through it.”

For more information, please visit www.somnwomenofworth.com.