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At that ever;t:vl'o people signed up to join the club, which means the group is The club held its first offiâ€" cial dinner meeting in Octoâ€" ber, when a motion to form the club was made. So she held an informaâ€" tion night in September to see if there was any interest. "The response was overâ€" whelming," she said of the 61 people who attended the event. Hillier decided to start a local club after attending a meeting at the Cambridge BPW a year ago. "I felt like this was an opportunity for women to have a voice and make a difâ€" ference." And it has clubs in 108 countries around the world. The Cambridge club has been around since 1945, but with l(itchener-yVaterloo's growing population, the region needs a second club, said Doreen Hillier, the Kâ€"W club‘s president. BPW is a nonâ€"profit fem inist organization that pro motes the interests of work ing women. "We‘ve come a long way baby," said Lin Buxton, the president of the Cambridge BPW club. And now, with 10 foundâ€" ing members, Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo will have its own BPW club. The Business and Profesâ€" sional Women‘s Clubs of Canada have been working on behalf of women to improve their economic, employment and social conditions since the 1930s. P until 77 years ago, l ' the federal governâ€" ment did not considâ€" er Canadian women to be "persons." Since then, women have faced many challenges â€" including discrimination, pay inequity and harassâ€" ment â€" because of their gender. : s d ] 2222 Waterlioo business women‘s club lflflkmg for gals to hoost its memllel'slllp The group is looking for businesswomen and profesâ€" sionals â€"â€" ranging from entrepreneurs and bankers to doctors and lawyers â€"â€" of any age. ing point, and sheâ€"hopes to attract up to 30 people this year to the club, which will hold monthly dinner meetâ€" ings at the Waterloo Inn. eligible to apply for ter. Hillier sees this as a start whole broad gamut a charâ€" "But 1 stayed at the Lon don club because of the res olutions and the opportuni Aonae in "I originally joined the London club because I wanted to network and make friends. of professional and business «skills (is welcome)," said Carole Gumprich, the club‘s first vice president. . Gumprich, who recently moved to the area, has been a member of BPW‘s London chapter for seven years. BUSINESS BPW provides its memâ€" bers with four central beneâ€" ‘fits, called its pillars. First, they can take part in workshops promoting leadership skills and career advancement. Just being a member of the club‘s executive is a chance to develop leaderâ€" ship skills, Gumprich said. Second, they can encourâ€" age their personal developâ€" ty for professional develop ment." , Carole Gumprich and Doreen Hillier discuss how to boost membership for the new Third, lheyré;; develop lasting friendships and netâ€" working opportunities. For instance, at the Kâ€"wW club‘s first meeting, the female candidates running for positions in the upcomâ€" ing municipal election were each given the opportunity to address the club. ment in many ways, such as mentoring other members, listening to guest speakers and attending conferences and conventions. The group has nonâ€"govâ€" ernmental status with the United Nations, and interâ€" national resolutions BPW And finally, they can act on behalf of women around the world by raising awareâ€" ness and advocating for varâ€" ious causes. "Many women join for this reason," said Gumprich. "They want to network and they want business." JENNIFER ORMSTON proto