CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A women veterans conference scheduled for next week in Cascade Township has been canceled, leaving some in the community disappointed.
The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency shared the news in a Wednesday Facebook post, noting that all registration fees will be refunded.
"While we share your disappointment, we remain committed to supporting and uplifting Michigan's women veterans community," the post reads.
The agency did not cite a reason for the cancellation in its post. FOX 17 has reached out for more information.
Theresa Robinson, a U.S. Navy veteran and member of Michigan's Women Veterans Coalition who serves on the planning committee for the conference, said news of the cancellation was devastating.
"It knocks the wind out of you. It makes you angry, it makes you sad, and it makes you feel invisible again," Robinson said.
This year would have been the fourth annual event, with over 200 women who served set to gather together. Robinson believes this event serves as a lifeline for many women veterans.
"The first time I walked through the doors of our very first conference, it was so emotional and so overwhelming," Robinson said. "It had been 45 years since I had been around all women that had served in the military. I knew that I could look, I could sit at any table, sit down and have a conversation and talk with these women. They would know what I went through and I would know what they went through."
While this cancellation represents a setback, Robinson says organizers are looking at other ways to bring these veterans together. They're hosting a rally Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Michigan's Capitol and are hoping to host some kind of event on one of the original conference days.
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