COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Elizabeth Smart, whose 2002 abduction was one of this country’s most followed child abduction cases, will be the keynote speaker at the first Women’s Luncheon in Coeur d’Alene this summer, as reported by KREM 2 news partner the Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press.
Marie Widmyer, wife of Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer, will be the special guest speaker.
The event is scheduled 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 17. It is billed as “Connecting with Ourselves and Our Community.
“Our actions, our ideas, and our work have the ability to affect the world around us in profound ways. Being a part of a community can make us feel as though we are a part of something greater than ourselves,” reads a flyer. “Please join us for an inspiring afternoon with two amazing women who will speak to us from their hearts.”
Smart was 14 when she was abducted from her Salt Lake City home on June 5, 2002. She was abused and assaulted by her captors, Brian Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, for nine months before she was recognized while in public with them and rescued.
Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation. She testified before her captor and the world about the nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to convictions.
Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2010 for her role in the kidnapping and abduction, although she was granted early release on Sept. 19, 2018. Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison.
The founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation,” Smart has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions.
She has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, "My Story."
Smart recently released a book, "Where There's Hope," about what it takes to overcome trauma, find the strength to move on, and reclaim one’s life.
Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband, Matthew, in 2012, and they have two children.
Widmyer is a multiple business owner, mother of four and grandmother of two. She and her twin daughters recently opened a new retail location in Brooklyn. She produces charity fashion shows, serves on the board of directors for the CDA Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Arts & Cultural Alliance, and she is the current Mrs. Lake Coeur d’Alene. One of her mantras is, “We all have a voice; we all have a story to tell. Go and tell yours, as no one will tell it for you.”
Tickets are $89 for chamber members, $99 for non-members. A Zoom option is $49 for members and $59 for non-members. The site of the luncheon has not been determined.
The Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.
