Surrounded by business women and doctors at the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention Center, local Girl Scouts led the 31st annual luncheon for Women’s History Month by raising flags and saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
During the event both the 2016 Lifetime Contribution and Woman of the Year Awards were given to Flo Davis and Jean Capler, respectively.
Davis has worked for more than 40 years as a nurse and nurse practitioner. Davis has worked at Planned Parenthood and Promptcare and was a nursing instructor at Ivy Tech.
She recently completed a nine-year tenure on the Local Council of Women and currently sits on the Board of Monroe County United Ministries, among many other accomplishments, according to the City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women.
“I am not a unique person,” Davis said. “Women in general wish to better the world and family and community, and my life has been enriched by working with these wonderful women. Thank you so much.”
The annual luncheon is the largest event of women coming together in Bloomington to celebrate the contributions they make, Planning Community Chairwoman Jacqueline Fernette said.
“I think it’s just inspiring for women to attend and also to be inspired by women that are winning those awards and contributing to our community,” Fernette said.
A committee of past recipients, commissioners and some members of the general public determined the winners, Fernette said.
“As mayor of City of Bloomington, I am sometimes called upon to make judgement calls, but yet I do not envy the work of the committee charged with deciding who would be named the recipients of today’s honors,” Mayor John Hamilton said. “Our extraordinary honorees today have made the focus of their lives about doing the most for others.”
The 2016 Woman of the Year recipient was introduced by Hamilton. Along with quoting Susan B. Anthony and praising the women of Bloomington, Hamilton spoke directly to Capler.
“We have a long and sad history of shutting people out or limiting their potential, hence the month we’re in today, and we appreciate that the more we fix that the better we all are,” Hamilton said. “So Jean, on behalf of the city that we are grateful that you call home, I thank you.”
Capler earned a masters in social work degree from the IU social work program at the IUPUI campus. Capler works for the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana while also advocating for equality and people with brain injuries, according to the City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women.
Capler has also served with the local LGBT community. She is also currently the Vice President of Indiana’s chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, co-founder of FairTalk and a part of a leadership team for the Bloomington Division of Freedom Indiana, according to the city’s Commission on the Status of Women.
“Closing the door to some of our citizens, excluding them by law or attitudes or unmet needs, hurts not only the individual, but hurts communities, too, because we’re deprived of all that potential,” Capler said.
Capler said she feels lucky to have had strong women in her life, including her grandmother, mother, aunt, younger sister, wife and step-daughter.
“I believe we all have an obligation to engage in changing the world to be more inclusive, sustainable and supportive of all, to break down the systemic barriers to equality and access, to get rid of those doors that keep people out,” Capler said. “Somehow we need to engage in creating a better world, a more perfect union.”
The Director of the Safe and Civil City Program Rafi Hasan said citizens should appreciate what cities like Bloomington are doing to celebrate these types of issues.
“You recognize the efforts of so many women who have always been present, but whose stories have been purposefully written out,” Hasan said.
Bloomington is full of people working towards female equality, which has been a centuries-long effort, and events like these are important for many different reasons, Hamilton said.
“Part of it is education, reminding us of how important some of the leaders in the past have been,” he said. “People get energized at a place like this to remember that it does take effort and leadership, and there’s a room full of leaders here who are making changes in Bloomington.”
