Between 15,000 and 20,000 people are expected to visit the BYU campus Thursday and Friday for the university’s annual Women’s Conference. President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will conclude the two-day event of presentations and service opportunities with an address at the Marriott Center.

Sheri Dew, president and CEO of Deseret Book, will introduce this year’s theme, “Awake and Arise and Come unto Him,” taken from Moroni 10:30-32.

Attendees will have their choice of 90 concurrent sessions presented in 17 different venues around campus. More than 200 presenters will share messages on a variety of topics centered on the conference’s general theme. Elaine Walton, a former presenter and member of the BYU Women’s Conference Committee, said the presentations should be a blessing to all who attend.

“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for LDS women to have a break and associate with one another,” Walton said. “What we’re hoping is that women will be energized by this experience and feel motivated to do good things.”

After beginning each day with a general session at the Marriott Center, presenters will cover topics ranging from successful single parenting and the importance of education and spiritual growth to coping with pornography addictions.

“Some of the presenters are BYU professors, homemakers or people who we know have a story to tell,” Walton said. “What surprises me every year is how many women show up. You think they’d be put off by the crowds but they’re not.”

Jill C. Manning, a licensed family therapist who earned her Ph.D. at BYU, will give a presentation about what resources and principles are available to individuals and families struggling with pornography addiction. Manning is a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and was invited to testify before a senate sub-committee regarding the harms of Internet pornography in 2005.

In addition to presentations and general sessions in the Marriott Center, service opportunities will be available Thursday evening in the Richards Building and the Smith Fieldhouse.

According to a press release, the conference committee anticipates producing more than 20,000 hygiene kits, 9,200 school kits and 9,200 newborn kits. The kits will be donated to the LDS Humanitarian Center to replenish supplies for the church’s future humanitarian relief efforts.

Sandra Rogers, chair of the BYU Women’s Conference Committee, looks forward to the two-day conference as a great opportunity for women to serve and be uplifted.

“When we, as sisters, unite in the great cause of the restored gospel we can make a great and significant difference for good,” she said in a press release.

Women attending the conference are asked to park north and east of the Marriott Center, north of the Bean Museum, southeast of LaVell Edwards Stadium, and west of the stadium. As a result of Thursday night’s service activities, parking west of the Richards Building and north of the Smith Fieldhouse will be closed between midnight on Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1.

Registration can be done in person each day at the Marriott Center. Tuition is $47 for both days or $27 for one day. BYU faculty, staff, and students with a BYU ID are eligible for a reduced registration fee of $15 for the full conference or $8 for either Thursday or Friday. Additional information about the conference is available at womensconference.byu.edu.