The first year I celebrated International Women’s Day was 2017. I was covering the second annual event put on by organizers in Jefferson County.

I covered International Women’s Day in some capacity since, except last year when I was preoccupied with the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, we have a unique opportunity to travel around the world — virtually — and celebrate the accomplishments of women with people across the globe.

But first, here are the details for a local event.

This is the ninth annual year for WorldDenver to offer an International Women’s Day celebration. This year will honor the accomplishments of women in national security.

The event will feature Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, co-founder of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security; and Lauren Bean Buitta, founder and CEO of Girl Security. The event will also honor Janine Davidson, president of Metropolitan State University of Denver who formerly served as a U.S. Air Force pilot and Undersecretary of the Navy.

There will also be a panel discussion entitled Women Who Lead in National Security. This will be moderated by retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry. The panelists are: retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Susan Helms who is a five-time astronaut; U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Heather Ruhlman; activist, Notre Dame lawyer and U.S. Air Force Lt. Kate Smith; Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, who is a former CIA Middle East Analyst.

WorldDenver’s event takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 8. It is a virtual event that will be broadcasted live from the Denver Center for Performing Arts.

It is free to attend. To register or learn more, visit https://worlddenver.org.

As its name implies, International Women’s Day is celebrated globally. And because of COVID-19, many of the events are happening virtually, so there is the option to attend an event that’s taking place nearly anywhere in the world.

Visit www.internationalwomensday.com, and select ‘Events’ from the ‘Get Involved’ tab to browse through all of them. There are so many to choose from — panel discussions and online networking, dance classes and bike rides, livestream concerts and art exhibits, and you can even livestream the International Women’s Day Breakfast at Parliament in New Zealand.

Many of the events are free, but not all of them, and some accept donations for the organization putting the event on.

Additionally, some of the events take place sometime during the week of International Women’s Day, which is March 8, and not on the exact day. So make sure to double check dates, and make note of any time differences if you’re going to virtually attend a live-stream event that takes place outside of our time zone. Along with that, if it takes place in a different country, make sure the event is offered in English or another language that you are competent with.

But most of all, have fun celebrating the contributions of women — in the past, present and future.