They balance motherhood and running their own businesses.

And on June 1, they were honored by the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce at the chamber’s annual Women in Business celebration, an evening of networking, appetizers, a fashion show and free giveaways of beauty products, artistic pieces and more.

Jenni Butz, who is president of Wordspark, LLC, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chair of the chamber’s Women in Business program, emceed the gala, while Megan Kaye, manager of the Issaquah Chico’s store, led a fashion show highlighting the newest warm-weather looks that can be found at the women’s clothing shop on Gilman Boulevard.

Rather than going the Paris Fashion Week route of appealing to a select few, the Chico’s fashion show represented the average, everyday woman — all four of the models were local women who are avid shoppers at Chico’s and volunteered their time to be at the chamber event. Attendees at the gala oohed and aahed over the bright, summery pieces, and eagerly wrote down the numbers of the outfits on their order forms.

“If we don’t get out of our box, we’d all be wearing the same hairstyle from the ‘60s,” said Kaye, encouraging women to be confident in their bodies and embrace bold fashion choices. “It’s the same with clothing — let us get you out of your box.”

Sixteen local businesses set up vendor booths at the gala and offered a variety of prizes for the women in attendance to win, from bottles of wine to a framed photograph of Seattle to teeth-whitening services.

The Sammamish Chamber has long been an advocate of creating opportunities for women in the business community to interact with one another. In 2008, the chamber began receiving many emails and phone calls from women who wanted to see events for women in the business community. In response, the chamber began hosting its annual galas for the female side of the Sammamish business community, becoming the first chamber on the Eastside to have a women in business sector.

“Women relate differently to each other,” chamber Director Deb Sogge explained, noting that women need an outlet to interact exclusively with one another. “They seem to feed off of each other, and they’re so inspiring.” When women get together, she said, they help one another’s “businesses to grow.”

In 2015, the chamber added in quarterly luncheons for women to connect with each other; Sogge said that the chamber hopes to create even more events for businesswomen in the future.

“Who knows what will come next?” she said. “It has really blossomed … It’s grown because it works.”

The evening’s keynote address was given by Leanne Kabat, a Sammamish resident and CEO of MamaCon. In addition to running a business that holds seminars for mothers and families, Kabat, who is herself a mother of three, this year began reaching out to moms across the world in another way.

Through her Mama2Mama campaign, Kabat volunteers her time helping moms to overcome the often-overlooked challenges of being a mom. This can mean helping moms perform a specific task, such as cooking a particular recipe, cleaning out a closet or training for a race, or it can also mean providing a listening ear and some helpful advice for a woman who is struggling with the hurdles of life.

“I won’t say no. I will always say yes,” Kabat told the audience at the gala.

Kabat started the campaign in March, after a friend in need contacted her saying, “Leanne, I don’t think I’m going to make it through the day.”

“I was just a mom who understood what it felt like to be completely alone,” Kabat said.

Kabat helped the mother through her difficulties, and was inspired to continue the effort for any woman, near and far, whom she could aid. She reached out both to friends and complete strangers over social media, helping 67 women in just the first three months.

Kabat herself is no stranger to the loneliness and hopelessness that these women have felt — after moving here from Ottawa and leaving all of her friends and relatives behind, Kabat was diagnosed with a fatal neurological disorder and given just five years to live. After suffering alone for too long, Kabat said, “I did something super brave — I met a woman at a playground and said, ‘Hi, I’m new here.’”

Over 10 years after her diagnosis, Kabat is determined to continue to defy the odds and live life with a positive attitude. She makes it her personal mantra to seize the day and impact as many lives as possible.

“I did not die because I am supposed to be here to remind people, ‘Alone is not the way,’” she said. “This is absolutely why I’m here.”

She encouraged the women in the audience not to be afraid to reach out in tough times to female friends or to her if they need. Too many women, she said, fear that they’ll be looked down on as bad mothers and wives if they admit to struggling with everyday troubles, and as a result, they keep all of their feelings bottled up.

“Please remember the loneliness and the shame that leads to so much suffering,” Kabat stressed.

At the end of the evening, Sogge addressed the crowd and thanked all of the speakers, vendors and attendees for their contributions.

“Like Leanne, we like to support businesswomen and moms,” Sogge said. “It really is amazing what happens when women come together.”

Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Local mom and businesswoman Leanne Kabat, owner of MamaCon, gave the keynote address. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Sixteen local vendors showed off their wares. These beaded creations were made by Melissa Janney, who runs Honey Beads Jewelry and Crafts. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Janney’s work sparkled in the sunlight. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

The Mary Kay display was full of ideas for end-of-schoolyear gifts for teachers. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Katie Littlefield of Sammamish Smiles Dentistry shows off her pearly whites. The new dental office just opened up on Southeast Fourth Street near Metropolitan Market. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Sammamish Chamber Executive Director Deb Sogge thanked all of the women for their participation and touched on the need for female business owners to connect with one another in events like this one. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Honey Beads Jewelry and Crafts creates and sells handmade beaded bookmarks custom-made for specific books, such as these Jane Austen classics. Nicole Jennings/staff photo