Celebrating women in Riverdale

Women from all walks of life celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) in style. The Female Fight Club’s annual gala fundraiser drew attention to some of the prominent issues facing women today by honoring community members who are breaking barriers to address them.

As they took to the podium, they shared stories of their journeys, but issues of domestic violence prevention and breast cancer took center stage.

“There’s so much more that came out of the International Women’s Day event than just raising funds,” Johanna Edmonson said, founder of nonprofit Female Fight Club (FFC). “The connection, the community that’s being built and still growing. We’re still investing in it and sharing our story.”

Edmondson launched the female-only gym, in 2020. What started as a fitness center has evolved into a vibrant community of women from diverse backgrounds. FFC utilizes a holistic approach that combines fitness, education, and nutrition to promote self-empowerment and healing. Offerings include journaling classes, breast cancer walks and seminars on self-defense

In a night filled with awards, heartfelt speeches and expressions of gratitude, the nonprofit’s fourth annual gala spotlighted women who made significant strides in bettering themselves and the lives of others.

“This is an award presented by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz tonight for all my community service,” Honesty Mattavous said, an FCC member. “The community calls me ‘the mayor’, because I’m always so happy and excited to advocate for [FFC] and every single woman that I meet.”

Among those honored was Camelia Tepelus, the recipient of FFC’s Giving Women a Fight Chance scholarship. A cancer survivor, Telepus was recognized for her resilience and contribution to the community. The scholarship, part of FFC’s mission to invest in women’s health, supports women facing economic barriers to accessing the organization’s programs.

“Together today, we are fighting with our hearts,” Edmondson expressed. “Fighting spirit brought her to this moment.”

The scholarship, awarded annually, is designed to help women in need of support gain access to the gym’s programming. Last year, it covered membership for a heart transplant recipient.

Tepelus has been involved with FFC since its early days, when fitness classes were held in Van Cortlandt Park during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before opening a brick-and-mortar location in 2023, FFC hosted all its events in the park, including the first-ever International Women’s Day gala.

In December 2023, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery the following month before starting chemoradiation on her treatment journey.

She is one of more than four million survivors in the U.S. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women, second only to lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It accounts for 30% of all cancer diagnoses, with an estimated 300,000 new cases expected in 2025.

“I wasn’t sure I would be able to afford a membership because I don’t even know if I was physically able to do anything,” she said. “There are days you frankly can’t get out of bed because of the effects of treatment and all that.”

The year-long scholarship provides no-cost access to all fitness classes, allowing Tepelus to stay active at her own pace and find a mental and emotional escape from the realities of her diagnosis.

“To put on makeup, a wig, a hat, everything, can feel like a whole production just to go out,” she said. “It was a relief knowing I can go [to FFC] looking super weird. They encourage you to be there for your own well-being, no matter how you look.”

Donning large pink flowers pinned to their shirts, a group of all-women high school seniors from IN-TECH Academy helped the evening run smoothly as they checked on guests and led them to their tables.

“Tonight has been so inspiring,” Kayla Cullo said, an IN-Tech student who hopes to be a nurse. “As a Dominican, seeing other Dominican women and women in STEM come onstage and talk about their own experience makes me feel so represented."

The gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is primarily driven by societal stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing these fields, along with limited female role models in leadership positions. 

The number of women working in STEM has been steadily rising. Even though females outnumber men in the college-educated workforce, the Women Tech Network reports they only account for up to 35 percent of the workforce. In 2019, that number was at 28 percent.

“They are a wonderful group of young women who wanted to be exposed to different careers, we're showing them how to network a little bit and give back to the community,” Liliana Mora said, long-time FFC member who helped facilitate the partnership with the IN-TECH.

Marked on March 8th for over a century, International Women’s Day traces its roots to the women’s suffragette and labor movements and has evolved into a global celebration of women's achievements and a call to action for gender equality and empowerment.