Three years ago, Jennifer Forren of Quarryville organized Beloved, an event that was designed to offer women in the area a safe place to connect with one another and to strengthen the community. Despite having no sponsors or involvement from any local businesses, Beloved was an immediate success; over 100 women attended the event. This year, Forren will host Crowned, a follow-up event with the same goals of promoting bonds between local women.

"I've always had a desire to help women feel loved and accepted," Forren said. "I never had that; I had to go out and find a support system of women. Now I want to give that support to others."

Crowned will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, at DOVE Rivers of Life, 900 Winter Hill Road, Strasburg. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and it will include guest speakers, activities, door prizes and Christian worship. Women age 17 years or older may purchase tickets to Crowned for a set price.

At 8:30 a.m., registration will open for the event and hot cocoa and muffins will be served, provided by the Daily Grind Quarryville. Throughout the day, three guest speakers will share 20-minute presentations, and activities will be offered at a variety of stations. Each activity is design to provoke thought in participants and encourage them to develop a relationship with themselves, their faith and other women. After a short worship session, pizza will be provided for lunch, donated by Dolce Vita in Quarryville.

"We want to get women thinking and really building a relationship with themselves," Forren said. "It's a safe place to make new friends, become closer to Jesus and just have fun with your neighbors."

Door prizes will be given out during the event, which will include items such as gift baskets, gift cards, hair products, coffee mugs and cookies. Each prize has been donated by a local business. "Businesses began to contact me after the last event and asked how they could support the next one," said Forren. "It reflects the sense of community in this area, and it's the reason why I started the event." The door prizes will be items from businesses such as One Mission Coffee, Beauty Unveiled Salon, Thread to Hearts, Sparrow Heart Cookies, Wicked Panes and Jo's Baby Cakes, among others. All of the room and table decorations for the event have been donated by White Peacock Rentals.

To register for the event, visit https://tinyurl.com/crowned-signup.