THUNDER BAY -- PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise has garnered national recognition.
The not-for-profit organization received the 2014 Donner Canadian Foundation Award for education programming out of 48 other organizations across the country for their approach to entrepreneurial training.
“For 20 years, we’ve been working really hard, the team here, to have cutting edge training. We always were flexible, asking the women what they needed and where they needed the training,” said founder and executive director Rosalind Lockyer.
PARO provides weekly workshops, one-on-one counselling, networking events and financial services to female entrepreneurs across Northern Ontario.
“We always change the program to meet the needs of the women rather than to meet our own needs,” said Lockyer.
The award comes with $5,000, which Lockyer said will be put directly into their PARO on Wheels program.
“It’s very costly to have two vehicles on the road all the time going from Kenora to Bracebridge. We’re really pleased and thankful for that money,” she said.
Last fall PARO celebrated its 20th anniversary and since 2009, the organization has helped women access more than $4 million in grants to start their businesses.
