craigdailypress.com

Women in Craig have an opportunity for inspiration and encouragement thanks to three dedicated local women.

Jeannie Higgins, Mary Pat Dunn and Jan Gerber were discussing Christian women's conferences they enjoyed attending but realized that women from Northwest Colorado shouldn't have to drive hours to Denver or Grand Junction to attend them.

Thus they formed the first local conference of its kind, the "Women of His Image" Christian Women's Conference.

"We knew there had to be enough women in Craig that would want to do this so we wouldn't have to travel," organizer Sari Cobb said .

Two years later, the original three founders, plus another 20 volunteers, are planning for the second annual conference on Sept. 10 and 11 at First Christian Church in Craig.

Last year's inaugural conference, which drew about 120 women and teenage girls from all over Colorado, was a ton of work, said Dunn, but its success made the team even more excited for the second one.

"Everything has fallen into place so smoothly," she said.

Gerber and Dunn credited Higgins with being the "loving, driving force" that got the first conference rolling.

Higgins rallied support from a wide cross-section of organizations across town.

Nearly every church in Craig is represented in the nondenominational conference.

This year's two-day event includes keynote speaker Betty B. Gray, who is nationally recognized for her humorous, yet poignant messages.

Rhonda Walmer, last year's keynote speaker, will return this year to provide inspirational music.

When founding "Women in His Image," organizers decided to include more workshops than were available at other conferences.

"Last year we chose to have more workshops because we wanted to target specific issues, and it worked really well," Gerber said.

This year participants will attend two workshops of their choice from 12 offered, which include topics such as "Parenting tips for survival," "How to handle stress without medications," and "Is a kiss just a kiss (for teen girls)?"

"We just want to encourage women and teen girls, and offer them a time of refreshment," Dunn said.