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The Maine Women's Fund thanks MaineShare for its ongoing support. MaineShare makes it easy to donate to over 30 statewide organizations working every day to make Maine a better place to live. For more information, please visit the website.
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| Greetings! |
With the uncertainty of today's economy, I can think of no better time to implement feminine power structures, especially when it comes to transparency and sharing information across organizational and family units. The need to control information and power will not result in better outcomes, primarily because you cannot tap into the power, ingenuity and resourcefulness of those around you to help solve critical issues. During the month of March the Maine Women's Fund community will dig deeper into power, women's relationship with power and our style of being powerful agents of change. Join us! Share your thoughts on the E-Quality Matters Blog, email us your story of power, women, and leadership at thewomen@mainewomensfund.org, and continue to practice feminine leadership styles when its needed most.
Thank you,
Eli |
| 20th Anniversary Weekend Celebration |
Celebrate!
20 YEARS of creating lasting change, 20 YEARS of investing in women and girls, and 20 YEARS of building women's leadership! Join us May 1-3 for an inspiring weekend to honor Maine women and girls who are making change happen in our communities. Keep your eyes open for your invitation!
And check out all the bold women and girls who participated in developing a video adaptation of the original Mother's Day Proclamation - a powerful document, calling forth the feminist principle that woman have the responsibility, ability and power to heal society - written in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe. We invite you to create your own version! |
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| Making Change Happen |
 Pam Erickson: Balancing Opportunity and ChallengeWritten by Bethany Hutchinson
Pam Erickson has a vision. As she surveys what will soon be the dormitory of the new school in Freeport, she can already picture its future occupants. "Their energy precedes them," she says, and it's true - they're easy to imagine: Early morning light filters through the windows beyond which a soft mist and rocky coast beckon the girls who are in various states of readiness. Some - fully dressed, gear packed, and itching to go - bark at the rest to "Hurry up, already!" Others dig through the mountains of clothes next to their bed, trying to unearth their favorite pair of jeans, while still others wrestle with overstuffed packs. Sundry items fly overhead toward those in need - a brush to a girl with hair sticking out every which way, a hat to someone who can't be bothered, and a water bottle to someone who slips it in her bag and joins the ranks of the ready. Read Pam's full profile.  Mary Allen Lindemann: Building a Business Building a Community
Written by Janice Rogers
Mary Allen Lindemann and her husband, Alan Spear, opened their first Coffee By Design coffeehouse in Portland in 1994. After living in Seattle for several years and learning about the specialty coffee business, they realized that they wanted to return to Maine to take part in the revitalization of a city that had been hit hard by recessions. Their goal was to find a neighborhood that had no real community gathering spot and create a place where everyone was welcome. "We weren't looking for the 'pretty' part of town," she says now of their Congress Street coffeehouse location. Indeed, it was housed in the area that was not known as the Arts District, as it is today, but rather the "pornography" district. Within six months of opening the shop, though, Lindemann looked around at the diverse clientele and realized that their vision was a reality - it had become a place that truly brought the neighborhood together. Read Mary Allen's full profile. |
| Mark Your Calendars! |
March 12: Job Hunting in Hard Economic Times
Dyer Library in the Deering Room, Saco
6:30 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Getting frustrated with the job market? Tired of looking in the same places with no results? Join us at the Dyer Library in Saco where, Nancy Brook, a certified professional career counselor, will offer strategies and techniques on how to search for employment. March 26: Social Justice Film Series
SPACE Gallery - 538 Congress St, Portland
Doors Open at 7:00 and Film at 7:30 pm
Admission $7 / $5 for SPACE members
VERY YOUNG GIRLS + Q&A with Director David Schisgall
Tix/Info at www.space538.org
Film website: www.vygthemovie.com
March 27: Women Standing Together Lunch
Muddy Rudder, Brewer
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Members Only (Women are invited to attend two lunches before joining.)
The gathering will showcase the fabric artist behind Sojourn Quilts, Janyce Boynton. Janyce will present an overview of her shop, which features a wide range of quilted works and fabric collages including fabric art cards and intricate wall hangings. Following the presentation, Janyce will present a current business challenge to the group. In a roundtable format with other Women Standing Together members, you are invited to ask questions, share your insights and give advice on her current business challenge.
April 1: Women as Philanthropists Brownbag Lunch
Maine Women's Fund Office
565 Congress Street, 3rd Floor, Portland
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Join inspiring women in the Portland area at a brown bag lunch to discuss the topic of women as philanthropists. We will explore how our theory of change intersects with our practice of philanthropy, how our relationship to money informs who we are as philanthropists and our role in funding other women.
April 2: Women as Philanthropists Brownbag Lunch
Penquis, 262 Harlow Street, Bangor
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Join women in the Bangor area at a brown bag lunch to discuss the topic of women as philanthropists. We will explore how our theory of change intersects with our practice of philanthropy, how our relationship to money informs who we are as philanthropists and our role in funding other women. April 7: Importance of Female Focused Networks Brownbag Lunch
Community Room at the B-Street Community Center, Lewiston
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Join the next brown bag lunch on the Importance of Female Focused Networks. Megan Williams, Executive Director of Hardy Girls Healthy Women, will join us to discuss how media messages to girls and women undermine sisterhood, coalition and friendship.
To RSVP, email
thewomen@mainewomensfund.org or call 207-774-5513. |
| Annual Spotlight on Philanthropy |
On Saturday, February 28th, nearly thirty women from the Maine Women's Fund community gathered to rally around the topic of philanthropy. These dynamic women met at Bowdoin College and participated in a productive discussion facilitated by Lael Jepson of SheChanges and Elizabeth Stefanski, Executive Director of the Maine Women's Fund. After establishing a collective history of the MWF through an interactive timeline exercise, the women rolled up their sleeves and got to work brainstorming ways to sharpen the focus and accelerate the growth of the Fund. The charge was to use our collective energies and resources to pull more women - from our community and beyond - into active engagement with the Fund. Women were asked to identify with one group and share their dreams for the Fund by asking themselves: What if...
Once pages were filled with stimulating ideas, the group voted on their top choices. Each month we will highlight these top choices in the What if... Highlight
section of the eNews.
Missed the event? Not to worry! For a complete list of ideas that were generated at the 2009 Spotlight on Philanthropy, please visit our website. If any of them encourage you to take action, let us know and we'll help! Thanks to all of the women who made this event possible. |
| What if... Highlight |
Women who were ready to make a change received some free coaching to support them in making it happen?
Lael Couper Jepson and Katie West are two certified coaches in the Maine Women's Fund community who will make it happen. Lael and Katie discussed working in conjunction with Women Standing Together to support women entrepreneurs from the New Ventures program and Coastal Enterprise, Inc. who are seeking to grow or strengthen their business. They hope to rally a core group of coaches who are willing to lend their expertise to create a pipeline of support for those women seeking to make sustainable change in their life and business. | |
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Thank you for reading,
Eli, Kristin, Lauren and Jess |
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