1995: From its base in Thunder Bay, PARO begins to develop a micro-loan fund. Peer-lending circles comprised of four to seven women are developed. They meet monthly to exchange advice, provide support, approve and guarantee each other's loans and monitor payments.
1998: PARO expands its services throughout Northwestern Ontario.
1999-2001: PARO builds an alliance of community partners to develop a community mentoring program. Thunder Bay Community Mentoring Program is now an independent non-profit corporation, providing one-on-one mentoring for new entrepreneurs.
2000: PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise is launched and will house administrative functions for PARO in addition to an incubator for women's businesses. The incubator offers shared office space, technology, equipment and access to other business supports, including a child care corner.
2001: PARO launches PARO Presents, a social purpose enterprise designed to give women retail, marketing and sales experience while selling their products.
PARO leads Advancing Women's CED, the catalyst for a new Canadian Women's CED Council (CWCEDC) and completes three research reports relevant to self-employment, employment, unemployment and training as they pertain to women living in Northern Ontario.
2002: PARO receives the Soroptimist International Award for Eastern Canada for Advancing the Status of Women.
2004: PARO receives the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Award for Business Excellence in the Not-For-Profit category.
PARO launches the Business Accelerator program funded by FEDNOR and the Canadian Women's Foundation Collaborative Fund, to assist women who are motivated to grow their businesses.
PARO is renamed PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise to better reflect the significant expansion of programs and services. The PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise is a registered, charitable, not-for-profit organization.
2005: PARO celebrates its 10th anniversary. Rosalind Lockyer, founding Executive Director, receives the Influential Women of Northern Ontario, Public Sector Award, Northern Ontario Business, in recognition of women who have contributed to the economic wealth, job creation and growth in communities across the North.
2006: PARO is actively involved in research, policy and program development with the Economic Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, the National Skills Institute, the Canadian CED network, and Northern Opportunities for Women. PARO begins to administer the new Canadian Women's CED Council (CWCEDC).
PARO on Wheels, a mobile training van, hits the road partnering with regional organizations to bring services to women living across the North from Wawa to Kenora.
2007: PARO receives the 25th Anniversary Award from the Ontario Trillium Foundation recognizing its excellent leadership and delivery of innovative programs.
2008: PARO partners with various community agencies and funders to host the first Northern Ontario Women's Economic Development Conference. Over 250 delegates participate in the 2 days conference.
2010: Partners with K-Net and Contact North to provide one line workshops through Video Conferencing and through E-learning Centra network. With funding from Status of Women Canada, PARO staff and trainers participate in bi-weekly Aboriginal language and cultural training with Aboriginal Elder, Kitty Everson A PARO toolkit of effective and proven business development, micro-finance and non-profit curricula is translated into French and Ojii-Cree. ED is Final Panelist with Melissa and Bill Gates Foundation and CARE Canada on the topic of Micro-Finance at 2010 Toronto Micro-Finance Conference and is invited to participate in the Governor General’s Conference. Works with the Women’s Economic Council to develop new Leadership and Economic Literacy Curricula.
2011: ED is invited to speak at the Women's World Conference July 2011 on Women the Hidden Gold of the North: Equality through Micro-Finance.
