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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 9, 20 20 | 4 VOTE TODAY canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 TO VOTE! IT'S TIME We received hundreds of truly inspiring nominations for Canadian immigrants who have made a significant impact since their arrival. Now it's your turn to help choose this year's winners. Title sponsor: Presented by: Media sponsors: HCDSB Online Registration is OPEN Still in time to register online for Kindergarten to Grade 12! There's still time! Although schools are closed, Part 1 of the registration process can be submitted online for elementary and secondary school registration: www.hcdsb.org register online now There's no question that local small businesses have been navigating some challenging waters since the pandemic be- gan four months ago. But for the members of Cornerstone Women's Network, the task has been made a bit easier as they support one another from afar in a COVID-19 business environ- ment. The group of Halton Hills entrepre- neurial women has temporarily traded in its in-person networking sessions and events for virtual support via Zoom meet- ings, social media group chats and online promotion of each other's businesses and services. "When you have 30 to 40 people commit- ted to cross-promoting each other, there's a light at the end of the tunnel," said Andrea Hadlington, a local insurance broker who founded the group in 2012 with realtor Sara Haines. "We know where they (members) need help, we know if they're having a sale and we spread the word, and we follow each other on social media and share those mes- sages as well." In the early weeks of the pandemic, Haines said the support provided by the women's network was particularly crucial. "Almost all of our businesses were com- pletely upside down, with a lot of un- knowns," she said. "It was so beneficial for our mental health to have a network of oth- er people who are also feeling the impact of this (pandemic) in a different way. These women are like the net to catch you when you feel like you're falling. It's really com- forting in such an unknown time." The Cornerstone women have contin- ued to help others in the community, de- spite the COVID-19-related cancellation of their signature fundraiser Ladies of the '80s Party, which supports the group's an- nual Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards. The initiative bestows three $500 schol- arships on female graduating students at each Halton Hills high school who've shown a passion and talent for business. This year, the award continued and was named in honour of the late Valerie Bloom- field, who owned Make It So Printing in downtown Georgetown. Winners are selected by teachers facil- itating the business programs at each school, with Kylie Wenger earning the 2020 award at Acton High and Justine McDer- mot at Christ the King. Georgetown Dis- trict High School will announce its winner later this year. The group has also tentatively resched- uled its annual golf tournament to the fall -- an event that raises thousands for Can- cer Assistance Services of Halton Hills. Hadlington and Haines said their net- work is always looking for new members, even during the pandemic. The group is category-exclusive, mean- ing each member represents a different type of business. "We really put a lot of emphasis on sup- porting the person in our group who's in that business, versus trying to spread our- selves too thin," said Haines. "We become each other's trusted adviser in the indus- try that we represent in the group." She said one of the most rewarding as- pects of Cornerstone has been watching others start new businesses and seeing them grow and flourish. For example, Hadlington said Corner- stone member Anita Bergsma took her dream to own a cleaning business and worked hard to transform it from an idea to a full-fledged success. "It was amazing to watch that happen," she said. "And she's not the only one -- there are others we've helped and men- tored. It's an organic thing that happens when you have all of these like-minded people together." For further details visit cornerstonewomensnetwork.com. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As the local economy continues to be impacted by COVID-19, the IFP wanted to find out what supports are helping to get the Hal- ton Hills business community back on its feet. We reached out to the Cornerstone Women's Network, which continues to meet regularly during the pandemic -- albeit virtually -- for insight. NEWS WOMEN'S NETWORK OFFERS SUPPORT DURING PANDEMIC CHALLENGES MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com Group Zoom calls are among the ways the Cornerstone Women's Network members are supporting each other at a time when in-person gatherings aren't possible. Sara Haines photo