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A springtime tradition in Decatur County is the annual Women in the Workforce luncheon hosted by First National Bank, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be live stream only, according to First National Bank vice president and director of retail and marketing, Lorenda S. Smith.

Local women are encouraged to register on the bank’s website and they will be provided log-in information. Registration is requested in order to ensure the best quality stream possible.

FNB has partnered with S&L Integrations to offer the live stream, which will be held Thursday, April 23, from noon until 1 p.m.

The Women in the Workforce event will feature guest speaker April Hollingsworth Phelan who will be participating live from “The Treehouse” on her family’s North Georgia farm.

Phelan grew up on a farm near Whigham and received a degree in theater from Columbus State University. After graduation, she set out to begin her acting career in Atlanta.

In 2016, she married her husband, Daniel, and they decided to dive into the world of living tiny. Partnering with HGTV, they set out on a journey to create a home that lacked nothing, but had the perfect amount of everything, according to Smith.

Partnering with DIY Network and the Discovery Channel, April and Daniel have recently completed their latest building project, which is available on AirBNB. “The Treehouse” is a romantic getaway for couples that the Phelans have created.

“April has an inspiring story to share and we hope that many local women will join us to hear from her. Life for April has become a balance of holding on to her love of God and letting go of things that don’t matter,” said FNB’s Smith.

Traditionally, the Women in the Workforce event includes a luncheon, but since that is not possible this year, the bank has offered the opportunity for attendees to purchase lunch for local women employed in healthcare who are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 through a secure link on the event page.

“During our planning session for this event, it was suggested that we could offer participants a way to provide local women in the healthcare workforce as a ‘Thank You’ for their selfless sacrifice and efforts to overcome this pandemic. The event is free and the donation is voluntary. There is no obligated to donate.  We truly saw this as a way to be an encouragement to all working women and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Working women are resilient and we won’t allow this to defeat us!” Smith said.