Women gather at the end of the Let's Talk Women's Health & Wellness Symposium for a dance party. Photos courtesy of Courtney Van Jahnke Photography.Courtney Van Jahnke Photography
Deborah Belfatto got her first breast cancer diagnosis in 1986 at 33.
The Orange native survived, thanks to her instincts and a surgeon’s second opinion, and became an advocate for breast cancer and women’s health equity.
But in 2021, she was re-diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s when she knew she wanted to do more to empower women about their health and launched the nonprofit Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness.
The organization hosted its first Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness Symposium in 2022, and it was so successful that it has held it every year since.
“My path to purpose has always been centered on women’s health and, most importantly, health equity,” Belfatto said. “It has never been more important than right now for women – all women – to have the tools and knowledge to be their own health and wellness advocates.”
This year’s conference is scheduled for March 29 at NJPAC in Newark and is expected to draw close to 1,000 attendees, said Kathi Edelson Wolder, the organization’s spokesperson.
“We are committed to ensuring that every woman has access to the knowledge, resources, and community that empower her to live well,” Edelson Wolder said.
The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will start with breakfast, which is included in the ticket price. Then, there will be an all-group panel on the state of women’s health in New Jersey featuring experts from the state health department, nonprofits and hospital systems. Afterward, attendees will be able to listen to breakout panels on topics ranging from menopause and navigating finances to well-being, participate in pop-up dance and sleep wellness classes, or sip mocktails and relax in the wellness lounge. Lunch, snacks and coffee will be available throughout the day, and at the end, women will leave with a gift bag containing surprise items.
Between sessions, guests will be able to peruse the marketplace, which will feature mostly women-owned businesses, and purchase items like vegan chocolates, specialty plants and home goods. The conference will conclude with a dance party and a champagne toast.
“We want women to leave this conference feeling empowered, feeling bold,” Edelson Wolder said.
Tickets are $125 per person, but the organization offers complimentary Sister Tickets for women who might be priced out.
The purpose of the Sister Tickets is to enable “any woman who wants to attend this transformational day to do so,” Belfatto said.
Tiffany Rose, a two-time vendor at the conference, owns School Scents Candles, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based business that sells candles nationwide. She has seen how helpful the conference has been in educating and connecting women to health resources. It’s why she’s donated several Sister Tickets to this year’s conference.
“You’re in an atmosphere where you get to see people that want to help you. You get to see doctors,” said Rose, formerly of Paramus.
Helen Archontou is the nonprofit YWCA Northern New Jersey’s chief executive officer and a Let’s Talk board member.
Her organization, whose mission is to end racism and empower women, is one of the groups collaborating with Let’s Talk to get tickets for underserved women.
“They don’t have to worry about food for the day. They’ll have two great meals, and they can just sit there and focus and soak it all in,” Archontou said. “When they leave, they not only leave with the information that they heard that day, but they’re going to leave with lots of new contacts.”
Women can sign up for a Sister Ticket by March 21 at https://letstalkwellwomen.org/request-complimentary-tickets/. Attendees interested in donating a sister ticket can purchase a “Get One, Give One” ticket.
Stories by Amira Sweilem
Amira Sweilem may be reached at asweilem@njadvancemedia.com.
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