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Awaken Aurora builds on inaugural success with focus on International Women’s Day

February 14, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brock Weir

More than 65 women came together at the Aurora Cultural Centre last month for the inaugural Awaken Aurora – The Dawn Within, a new program spearheaded by three local residents to “give women in the community a dedicated space to pause and feel supported and connected” while focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Given the tremendous success of the first session, which included yoga, mindfulness, guest speakers, and a bevy of local vendors, Awaken Aurora founders Lauren Hanna, a health policymaker, digital marketer and mental health advocate Skai Spooner, and realtor Krista Hall, are looking to build on their success just in time for International Women’s Day.

“I had a feeling that women in Aurora were kind of craving more opportunities to come together as a community, connect with each other, and also spend a little bit more time focusing on their health,” says Hanna. “That said, I think there’s still a degree of pressure that comes with organizing an event, and you put money and time into it, so certainly we were relieved to see that ticket sales were positive and that we sold out.

“We wanted to donate $500 to the CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association of York Region and South Simcoe), so selling out also meant that we were able to do that, which was really special and a key measure of success.”

Being able to support the CMHA and their local mental health services was a key priority for the trio behind Awaken Aurora and with the January success, they aim to raise $2,000 for the organization through their four signature events, the next of which is set for March at Royal Rose Gallery to align with International Women’s Day, sponsored by realtor Krista Hall.

Ticket sales for the event went on sale last week and were already more than 25 per cent sold out by press time this week.

“It’s really nice that people were watching and keen for details on the next event,” says Hanna.  This time around, we’re hosting it at Royal Rose Gallery, so it is a nice chance to support other local businesses and event facilities.”

Newmarket-based author Carly Ottaway, she adds, will be a keynote speaker at the event with a talk focused on “coming back to and celebrating your authentic self.”

Looking back at the success of the first event, Hanna says one participant described the experience as “life-changing,” a piece of feedback that has put a lot of wind in the sails propelling them forward.

“It was pretty incredible to receive that email,” says Hanna. “We had a feeling that something a bit magical was happening – the vibe, if I can call it that, when people were coming in was very electric and special, having people connect with each other, just carving out the space to focus on their health and then hearing from two incredible speakers.

“We had a feeling there was something really special transpiring, but the feedback after the event, on the day of, that we received by email, and then in post-event survey was all extremely positive.”

For further information and to keep track of upcoming events, follow them on Instagram @AwakenAurora.ca.

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