CAIRO — First National Bank’s annual “Women in the Workforce” luncheon will take place as planned, but with a twist due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s event, set to take place later this week, will be livestreamed for free. Registrants will receive a link to join the livestream Thursday at noon.

Typically about 500 combined women attend the luncheon annually in separate events in Bainbridge and Cairo each year, and Lorenda Smith, vice president and director of retail and marketing at First National, said it was important to keep that tradition going. A key partnership with S&L Integrated, which has supplied audio equipment for the event in the past, was crucial to making 2020’s event a reality.

“Zoom is great, but it’s not for as many people,” Smith said, referring to a popular video conferencing application. “With this many people we needed something a little bit more robust, and (S&L) was able to get us some software so that we can host this live event now and let all of these people come from everywhere.”

Though event organizers had to scramble to piece things together in just two weeks, Smith said more than 100 participants already have signed up to take part in Thursday’s luncheon, and even more are expected to tune in through social media.

Interested participants can register for the event at fnbdc.com. There is no registration fee for the event.

Guest speaker April Hollingsworth Phelan will host the event live from “The Treehouse,” her latest tiny home project nestled in the mountains of north Georgia. Born and raised in nearby Whigham, Phelan will discuss her experiences juggling dual identities as a working woman and a new mother — with the added challenges brought on by the current pandemic.

Phelan, who Smith described as an “epic working woman,” had agreed to speak at the event prior to the coronavirus becoming widespread in the United States. Though the luncheon can no longer take place in person, Phelan will now be able to speak to women in attendance directly from the Treehouse, which is now available on Airbnb.

First National also has committed to purchasing lunches for local women in the healthcare workforce as a way of giving thanks for their sacrifices during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Since the women are not having to pay for lunch, somebody suggested that we make a way to buy a healthcare worker lunch,” Smith said.

Smith said First National has purchased lunches for a full week for the more than 400 employees at a hospital in Bainbridge.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to effort can do so at fnbdc.com. A donation of $10 will be enough to purchase a single meal for healthcare workers in Cairo and Bainbridge.

“Whatever comes through those donation buttons, we will send that through to the hospitals,” Smith said.