The AVOW organization was founded a little over two years ago with the purpose of giving women here in Fort Wayne a voice in public life. Under the leadership of founders, Patti Hays, Rachel Tobin-Smith, Marilyn Moran-Townsend and Faith Van Gilder, AVOW is growing in numbers, gaining momentum, and finding its voice in a number of platforms. The mission of the organization is to advance the voices of women in public life, the community square and civil conversations. Appealing to women of all backgrounds, ages and political affiliations, what unifies the group's effort is a common passion to inspire and train women for public life. Adding support to that endeavor is former Mayor of Fort Wayne, Paul Helmke. The Journal Gazette is also endorsing AVOW, and encouraging its participation in weekly guest columns and opinion pieces. WBOI's Julia Meek sat down with two of its founders, Pati Hays and Rachel Tobin-Smith, to discuss the group's mission and scope, and the impact it hopes to make on the community. WBOI Artcentric is brought to you by WBOI’s own Julia Meek and Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is “Me voy pal campo'' by KelsiCote. Our administrative assistant is Olivia Fletter. Our production assistants are Monica Blankenship, Alex Castonzo, Steve Mullaney, Kyle Norbeck, Mariah Roberts, Diahmynd Thomas, Mikaela Veltum, and Sydney Wagner.