7th Annual RISE Gala
Women of the World
Thurday, November 5, 2026
Save the First Thursday in November to Attend Our Celebration
Our 7th Annual RISE Gala is November 5, 2026
Come celebrate our very own WOMEN OF THE WORLD!
This special evening will honor a decade of impact of Women Walking West supporting Mentees from around the globe.
We will highlight the inspiring progress of our Mentees with passionate stories of success, and express gratitude to the fearless Mentors who service our mentees.
We will showcase the many generous Donors, Sponsors, and others financially supporting us, along with our dedicated Community Partners. Also, we will shine a well-deserved spotlight on our tireless Volunteers.
Our event is a formal affair — black tie optional.
Here is the overview of the evening:
- Complimentary Parking
- Doors open at 5:30, programming begins at 6.
- Silent Auction, Dinner, Presentations, Keynote speaker, Entertainment
- Event ends at 9:00
- Dinner selection will be Chicken or Vegetarian, which you will select when you purchase your ticket.
We look forward to celebrating this evening with you.
Back by popular demand:
- SPONSOR A MENTEE
A delicious sugar cookie from Julie McWilliams with Sweet Treats by Julie had a QR code that pointed donations for this campaign. During our Gala, we exceeded our goal by 20%! SWEET indeed! - SILENT AUCTION
In 2025 we nearly TRIPLED our donations from 2024! - ESSAY BOOK
This year we have published our first Essay Book with a collection of our ten best essay stories in the previous 10 years and donating online allowed us to give this book to many guests.
May we add you to our list of Sponsors? We appreciate you!
Presenting Sponsors — $15,000
Gold Sponsors — $5,000
Gold Sponsorship includes 10 tickets to the event, priority placement on all event marketing materials, and social media mentions.
Silver Sponsors — $3,000
Silver Sponsorship includes 10 tickets to the event, placement on all event marketing materials, and social media mentions
Bronze Sponsors — $2,000
Bronze Sponsor includes 10 tickets to the event and mention on all materials at the event
Table Sponsors — $1,000
Table Sponsors includes 10 tickets to the event and mention in the event program.
Host Committee — $500
Host Committee includes 2 tickets to the event & mention in the event program.
Host Committee Corporate— $500
Host Committee includes 2 tickets to the event & mention in the event program.
Images from 2025's Gala
Our MC Liz Bonis from Local 12 WKRC
Ed Kuresman, CFA of MAI Capital Management
Ivy Banks, M.Ed., J.D. of Xavier University
Our Keynote, Macarena Cloninger, SVP from Cintas
Mentee of the Year - Olga Klochkov
Mentor of the Year - Marzieh Hatamzadeh, M.S. with Dr. Sehi
Beacon Award - Chris Hubbard from Sinclair Community College
Fatemeh Hajihosseini with Essay Contest winners
Dwight Packard toasts Dr. Sehi
Eunwha Lee, Classical Pianist
MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir
Nrityarpana School of Performing Arts
