LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland-based organization dedicated to female empowerment is helping women grow their businesses and feel supported.

The Lakeland Women’s Collective was founded in 2018. The organization has been operating out of a historic home on E. Lemon Street near downtown Lakeland since June.

Founder Ileah Green said she created the collective because she found Lakeland to be cliquish and had a hard time meeting like-minded moms. 

“I just really needed that connection to other women and I was having a hard time finding it when I moved back to Lakeland," Green explained. "I didn’t want to go to church." 

Green also found it hard to network and couldn’t find a business center that catered to women. 

“We really want to build an opportunity for women to make friendships and connections with other women outside of the existing church-related opportunities in Lakeland,” Green said.

“In Lakeland it’s not just about going to church and meeting somebody," she added. "Those are where the opportunities are."

Creating a new forum

The collective hosts a plethora of events at the E. Lemon Street home, and offers memberships to people who want to have an office here, utilize the co-working space, or just socialize and use the event space. 

Immigration attorney Alison Foley-Rothrock rents an office there. 

“Here children are not only allowed, but encouraged to be here," said immigration attorney Alison Foley-Rothrock, who rents an office in the house. "Having been a single mother in the past and being a business owner, having to balance the needs of taking care of my children and running a business, I need my work space to accommodate that."

The home has an activity room for children, and the upstairs area is dedicated to artists. 

Green hopes the collective will help more women grow their businesses and be a safe space for women to discuss any issues they’re dealing with. 

“All of our events are basically around women’s rights and feminism, and the need for women to have equal opportunities,” Green said. 

The collective is also open to people who identify as female and non-binary persons. 

For more information about memberships and events, visit https://www.lakelandwomenscollective.com.