Tennis legend Venus Williams is coming to town.
She will be the special guest at the YWCA’s 20th annual Empowering Women Luncheon Oct. 7 at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main St.
The event’s theme, Serving Strength. Building Futures, “celebrates the strength of our collective power, and the hope and support that the YWCA has offered to women and families throughout the organization’s 143-year history,” the nonprofit said in a statement.
Lunch starts at noon and will be followed by a talk with Williams and Dr. Myra Henry, president and CEO of the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County.
WHEC-TV (Channel 10) anchor and investigative reporter Deanna Dewberry will serve as emcee.
Tickets are $100 per person with reserved seating at ywcarochester.org; $200 VIP.
Proceeds will benefit the YWCA’s supportive housing program, specialized workforce development program and in-home community care services.
About Venus Williams
With seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships and four Olympic gold medals, Williams is one of the most decorated women in sports. And she was pivotal in getting Grand Slam tournaments to award equal prize money to female tennis players. (Wimbledon was the last do to so in 2007.)
Off the court, she founded commercial and residential design firm V Starr in 2002.
In 2006, UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, named her its first “Promoter of Gender Equality.”
Williams launched her plant-based protein company, Happy Viking, in 2020, and her health and wellness book, “STRIVE,” was published in 2024.
Most recently, she partnered with her sister and fellow tennis icon Serena Williams on the video podcast series Stockton Street, which premiered on X in September 2025.
Their tennis journey began on the public courts of Compton, California, where they were first coached by their father, Richard Willams.
The YWCA luncheon is being sponsored by Bond Schoeneck and King, Faraci Lange, Modern Wealth Management, SUNY Brockport, The Summit Federal Credit Union and the Tennis Club of Rochester.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Tennis icon Venus Williams to headline YWCA Rochester event
Reporting by Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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