Dr. Nicole Ziomek & Nurse Practitioner Cari Sudmeier to be Honored While Raising Funds for Educational Grants Benefiting Local Women
(Indian Wells, CA) – The Girlfriend Factor (GFF) – a local nonprofit which provides renewable educational grants and emotional support to adult women who choose to improve their lives through higher education and occupational training – will be hosting its 2024 GoGirl! Luncheon on Friday, November 1st beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Ritz-Carlton, located at 68900 Frank Sinatra in Rancho Mirage.
The GoGirl! Luncheon will celebrate the women the Girlfriend Factor has supported with GoGirl! Grants over the years. In addition, the event – which is themed ‘Women of Wellness – will honor two local women who are leaders in the Coachella Valley medical community, Dr. Nicole Ziomek, ND FABNE, a naturopathic doctor and endocrinologist whose local practice is True You Medical; and Cari Sudmeier, MSN, RN, FNP-BS, a nurse practitioner and anoscopist with Eisenhower Surgery Specialty Clinic.
Dr. Nicole Ziomek is a board-certified naturopathic doctor and a fellow of the American Association of Naturopathic Endocrinology. With 14 years of experience, she specializes in treating patients through integrative, preventative, hand holistic approaches. Many patients seek Dr. Nicole for her innovative treatments addressing complex endocrine (hormone) disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and gastrointestinal restoration. Driven by a vision to empower patients to achieve optimal health, Dr. Nicole founded True You Medical, a private practice in the Coachella Valley. The clinic focuses on functional medicine principles, aiming to uncover the root causes of disease. She regularly speaks on health restoration to groups and peers, both locally and nationally.
Cari Sudmeier, a long-time Coachella Valley resident, began her healthcare journey by graduating from College of the Desert’s Registered Nursing program in 1993. While working as a critical care nurse and an international air ambulance nurse, Cari advanced her career with a Master of Science degree in Nursing from Loma Linda University, becoming a family nurse practitioner in 1999. Cari’s specialty is High Resolution Anoscopy, where she screens patients for HPV-related anorectal cancer and treats precancerous lesions. Cari has also produced an award-winning film inspired by her career in nursing, which she wrote and directed.
“When women become productive members of our economic workforce, they help not only themselves but their families and the society around them – which is why our mission is to support women in our community who go back to school to have a second chance at a career passion they were not able to pursue in their earlier years,” said Joan Busick, Founder of the Girlfriend Factor. “We believe in the power of girlfriends, and that when women have the encouragement of their girlfriends, they can accomplish anything they set their minds to and that is why the Girlfriend Factor exists.”
GoGirl! Grants are $3,000 per year for full time students, and are renewable – which means GFF will continue to support qualified recipients until they graduate. Recipients must be 25 years of age or older and show financial need. Schools the recipients attend include: College of the Desert, California State University – San Bernardino, University of California Riverside – Palm Desert Campus, Chapman University, International School of Beauty, California Desert Trial Academy and Loma Linda School of Dentistry.
To date, the Girlfriend Factor has supported over 230 local women with over $840,000 in grants as they pursue four year degrees or occupational certifications. Most of these women stay within community to gain employment and “give back” by contributing to the local workforce because they are already established here.
Guests of the November 1st luncheon will have the opportunity to meet current grant recipients and learn about their educational/career goals and plans. Individual tickets for the upcoming GoGirl! Luncheon are $125, and sponsorships are also available.
For more information about GFF and to purchase tickets, visit www.girlfriendfactor.org or call (760) 772-9594.
Direct link to purchase tickets: GoGirl! Luncheon – GirlFriend Factor
ABOUT THE GIRLFRIEND FACTOR:
Launched in 2006, the GirlFriend Factor is a nonprofit organization that aims to ensure that higher education and occupational training are financially accessible to adult women, ages 25 and older, who choose to improve their economic position in life and who strive for self-sufficiency. While providing educational grants to women to achieve their educational goals, the organization also celebrates and explores the powerful influence women have on each other’s lives through building friendships and sharing experiences.
