PHOTO PROVIDED Attendees of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Women Leadership Committee are pictured during the GRACE Conference in Williamsport.

PHOTO PROVIDED
Representatives from the local chapters of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Women Leadership Committee are pictured at the GRACE Conference in March. They are Laura Kiess, Sue Dotterer, Bonnie Beck, Coach Kiah and Chris Showers.

WILLIAMSPORT — The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Women Leadership Committee held their GRACE conference in Williamsport on March 27 and 28.

There were 41 in attendance to talk on GRACE: Get connected; Reach out; Active engagement; Complete the Grid; and Expand your network.

Three women represented Clinton County, Sue Dotterer, Bonnie Beck and Chris Showers; and two represented Lycoming County, Laura Kiess and Joan London.

Those in attendance toured the Blooming Grove Museum in Cogan Station on Friday afternoon, led by Joan London.

Following dinner, a training on how to work together was completed from “Dare to Lead Vulnerability/Rumbling Conflict Resolution,” rewritten by Suzanne Shea and Linda Halstead from a module by Brene Brown.

They received tips on telling their own stories, helping to understand their views, showing vulnerability and to listen to the other side to make a unified decision.

The evening ended with painting a flower pot and everyone received packets of flower seeds.

Following breakfast with Mr. Sticky’s, on Saturday, they heard reports from PFB CAO Todd Bailey, PFB president Chris Hoffman and their American Farm Bureau Federation woman representative, Lisa Wherry.

Wherry reported on “Farmer’s Care,” the collection for the Ronald McDonald House, has collected $73,000 with more to come.

The keynote speaker was Coach Kiah, who was raised on a cattle ranch in the barren terrain of California. Kiah now lived in Kentucky with her husband and daughter with another on the way.

She gave quotes from her grandfather that she used to follow her dreams, but stay rooted at home.”Legacy equals the contribution through your gifts, so what do I have to offer?” she shared.

Kiah’s message to women was “how to stand by your sister.”

The women then completed an exercise with 25 scenarios that were passed around 12 times. Each woman stood with a person by what was checked on their paper without sharing verbally.

The conference ended with a themed basket auction that raised a total of $940 to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.