If you haven’t gotten involved with the Main Line Society of Professional Women (SPW), a program of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce, it’s time to put it on your radar. All 26 consecutive events have been sold out since the program started in 2009 and the trend is sure to continue through the end of the year. Over $20,000 has been generously donated by Wells Fargo to the featured nonprofits, and much-needed donation items have been collected to contribute as well. Women are finding mentors, building alliances and even getting jobs thanks to the connections that they’ve made at SPW events.

At the last event on July 25 at Valley Forge Casino Resort, Lisa Scottoline, New York Times best-selling author, Philadelphia Inquirer “Chick Wit” columnist and “Today” show favorite, spoke to a sold-out crowd of 350 people about her transition from lawyer to award-winning author by following her dreams. “I never take ‘no’ for an answer. Actually, I don’t always take ‘yes’ for an answer,” said Scottoline referring to her journey to becoming a published author. She explained how all of the books that she read growing up portrayed women as the girlfriends and wives of the main characters, citing the catalyst for her career switch. Scottoline, who was a single mother, quit her job at a large law firm and started writing strong, independent female characters into her books.

Also at the event, New Leash on Life was honored with a $1,000 donation by Wells Fargo for its work of improving the lives of inmates and saving the lives of dogs. Event attendees also generously donated pet-store gift cards to support the program. New Leash on Life USA is a new-generation prison dog-training program that saves the lives of at-risk shelter dogs by training prison inmates to care for and socialize them. The dogs, which otherwise would have been euthanized at shelters, live with the inmates 24/7 for 11 weeks and learn skills that help enhance their adoptability. Inmates learn dog training, life skills and job readiness so that they can lead a productive life after prison.

SPW’s next event will be a breakfast on Oct. 16 at Radnor Valley Country Club where local restaurant mogul Dave Magrogan will be the speaker. The featured nonprofit will be Wings for Success, who provides economically disadvantaged women with work-appropriate clothing and job skills. Attendees are asked to bring a donation of new or gently used professional black handbags to donate, and buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a designer handbag. For more information or to register, visit SPW online at www.spwmainline.com.

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