First Lady Participates in "Queens for a Day" Event at Women's Expo

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 7, 2008) – First Lady Katie O’Malley will join 20 women with disabilities on Saturday as they participate in a special “Queens for the Day” program, part of the 2008 Women’s Expo sponsored by the Community Colleges of Baltimore County.  Organized by Women Embracing Abilities Now (WEAN) the Queens for a Day event is designed to give the women an opportunity to enjoy a day of pampering and special VIP status as they attend the Women’s Expo.

“Women today face a number of challenges in their lives – raising families, having a career, giving back to the community and most importantly, serving as role models for their daughters and sons,” said First Lady O’Malley.  “The Queens for a Day program is an outstanding opportunity for these women to share their stories, celebrate the beauty within and take advantage of the many outstanding lectures and workshops the Expo is providing.”

Created as a mentoring program for women with varying degrees of disabilities, the WEAN program establishes one-on-one mentoring relationships between women with “new” disabilities and women who have been living successfully with their disabilities.  Founded by Janice Jackson, a former Miss Wheelchair Maryland, the program provides strategies that encourage participants to find balance in their lives and remain committed to lifelong learning, wellness and health.  A professor at the University of Baltimore, Miss Jackson was recently selected to be a “cover girl” for Queen Latifah’s new line of Cover Girl makeup for African American women.  Her selection was the first time a woman with a disability was selected to represent the Cover Girl product line.

The CCBC Women’s Expo at Catonsville, presented by the Catonsville Chapter of the American Association for Women in Community College, is an annual event that features speakers, workshops and more than 170 exhibits on entrepreneurship and business, money matters, health and fitness, technology, education, non-profit organization as well as fashion, crafts and antiques, gardening and other issues.  The two-day expo is being held March 8 – 9, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Catonsville Community College.