Rev. Sande Bailey-Gwinn

Approximately 150 ladies came together Tuesday night in the Vidalia Community Center for the Greater Vidalia Chamber of Commerce annually sponsored event for woman called ConnectHER.

Prior to a catered dinner by Cal Berry, three of the five Wardlaw Brothers set the mood with special music, and rev. Sande Bailey-Gwinn delivered a unique address entitled “I Survived it; Now I Am thriving In it!”

“Thriving is from the heart,” Rev. Bailey-Gwinn said. “Surviving is not wanting to get out of bed; thriving is getting up and moving. Surviving is not wanting to cook; thriving is getting up and cooking that meal for your children. As women, we need to be thriving, not just survive.”

While Tuesday even was the for girls only, rev. Bailey-Gwinn often present motivational address across both genders and all ages, but she says it’s important for women to come together for each other.

“Women glean off each other,” she said. “They draw strength from one another. But they have to do it without jealousy or wanting to bring another woman down. Women need to say, ‘Baby, I’ve got you!’ And women need to help each other up the ladder rather than pull each other down from that ladder.”

The ConnectHER event was the final big event for the Greater Vidalia Chamber of Commerce for this year, but plans are already in the works for the ConnectHER gathering to be held in March of 2022.