“I feel like I have a purpose, and my purpose is to help other people achieve their goals,” says the organizer of Women with a Purpose Summer Market.
A group of like-minded entrepreneurs came together on Saturday to sell their wares and help raise funds for local charities.
Organized by local photographer Amanda Braybrook at St. Paul's Anglican Church on the Barrie-Innisfil border, the Women with a Purpose Summer Market was meant to bring fellow female entrepreneurs together to get to know each other and showcase their products and businesses, Braybrook explained.
“I grew up in Vaughan and had a business there. When I moved north nobody knew me so I decided to do a market to get my name out there. The first event was a huge success so I just kept going,” she said.
Saturday's event was the sixth annual Women with a Purpose market, she said, adding that in addition to bringing businesswomen together, it also helps raise awareness and funds for a different local charity each time. This weekend's market, which featured 17 vendors, helped raise funds and supplies for My Sister's Place, a women's shelter based in Innisfil and Alliston.
“I have some friends who grew up in shelters, so giving back to something like this is a really touching feeling to help and give back,” she said, adding that vendors are also being asked to donate items such as toiletries and blankets.
As a female entrepreneur, Braybrook said: Barry Today She says being able to help others like herself makes her feel good.
“I feel like I have a purpose. My purpose is to help other people achieve their goals. When I see other people succeed and achieve their goals, it fulfills my purpose,” she said.
