|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear ,
Having joined the Maine Women's Fund on June 1st, I can now attest to what you already know: this is a community of bold, joyful and generous women. In the past four weeks, I met many of you through listening sessions held in Bangor, Augusta, Rockport, Lewiston and Portland. The Board of Directors will use your input to ensure a healthy organizational transition to a new Executive Director.
I was awed by the myriad of ways you currently engage with the Fund as well as your long history of engagement over the past 22 years as grantees, donors, volunteers, founders, board members, staff, participants in programs and community partners. You are passionate about the Maine Women's Fund and its mission to create lasting change by investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls. You love the relationships you build through your involvement with the Fund. You see what is possible for Maine women and girls. And you have great ideas for the Fund's future.
More ideas are sure to come. The Fund welcomes two summer interns, Torrie and Judith, and no doubt they have ideas we can learn from. They are lucky to be working closely with Sonya Tomlinson, who manages grants and our office. Check out Sonya's blog post where she talks about her recent experience with Hardy Girls Healthy Women, one of our grant partners. Sonya's post is the first in a series to explore how the Maine Women's Fund enriches the lives of staff and volunteers both personally and professionally.
Best,
Cathy
|
|
|
|
|
 Meet our Summer Interns
| |
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the Maine Women's Fund summer interns. We are so excited to have the opportunity to work with Torrie and Judith. Their enthusiasm and passion is contagious.
 Torrie is a rising senior at Franklin and Marshall College where she is a joint Sociology/Women and Gender Studies major and an International Studies minor. She has spent most of her academic career focusing on international women's issues, particularly that of women and sport. Torrie is very passionate about the Olympic Movement and recently followed this passion to Geneva, Switzerland where she conducted an independent study on women, Islam and the Olympic Games! "I am thrilled to be interning at the Maine Women's Fund! It provides a fantastic opportunity to learn about and support women and girls in my local community. I am looking forward to a fun and productive summer!"  Judith was born in Sudan and is now a local community leader. She enjoys volunteering, advocating, painting and writing. In the fall, Judith will study Behavioral Health and Human Services at Southern Maine Community College. "Being involved and learning is what makes me who I am. To change what I don't like and to hold on to what I do like is the drive that keeps me going. In the future I plan on saving the world one act at a time and with as many people as I can drag along with me. I long to travel the world and see it all." |
|
Splash Micro Grants Mean Big Impact for Knox, Lincoln and Waldo County Residents
|
What would you do with $500 to improve the quality of life for the Midcoast community?
The Midcoast Advisory Council (MRAC) of the Maine Women's Fund will award four great ideas that promote economic self-sufficiency and security for women and girls with a $500 Splash grant on September 22. It's about making a splash with a great idea and a big impact for women and/or girls in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties.
Eligibility information and grant application are available online. Applications are due August 31.
The Midcoast Advisory Council will host a live community event on September 22 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Street Center in Rockland where eight finalists will present their idea and the audience will vote for the winners. The MRAC will announce the Splash micro grant recipients that evening! To be part of this exciting process, please RSVP online, by email or by phone at 207-774-5513.
Additionally, the evening will kick off the third season of the Women's Leadership Series. These thought provoking discussions, facilitated by local leaders, will explore how women are advancing interconnections in their communities - by finding energy in and unity between their personal and professional worlds, by building partnerships to co-lead and co-create, and by leading sustainably both individually and collectively.
The Women's Leadership Series are free and open to the public and are scheduled for Tuesdays, November 8, January 10 and March 13 at Amalfi on the Water at 6 p.m. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 5:15 to network and enjoy Tapas from the Amalfi menu!
|
|
|
New Board Members
|
The Maine Women's Fund is thrilled to welcome four community leaders to three-year terms on the Board of Directors! They each bring a great depth of professional and personal experience to our work around the Women's Leadership programming and the Economic Security Initiative.
 Melanie Brooks is the Editor of Bangor Metro magazine and the Managing Editor of Maine Ahead magazine. She also runs Real Maine Weddings, a yearly wedding publication. Melanie holds a MA in journalism from New York University and a BA in Communications from Towson University in Maryland. A steering committee member for Fusion Bangor, Melanie heads up the monthly Noontime Network luncheons and is also a planning board member for Bangor Greendrinks. When she's not working she spends her time taking photos, planning her September 2011 wedding, and fixing up her house - the same one her mother grew up in.
"I want the next generation of Maine girls to grow up the way I did - having wonderful role models, a good education and the luxury of a variety of options for their future."
Michaela Cavallaro is a writer and editor specializing in personal  finance, investing and food. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Money, Down East, and the publications of various financial services firms. Michaela is a founding member and current chair of the Fund's Portland Regional Advisory Committee, as well as a former New Girl. She lives in South Portland with her husband, Darren Cook, their five-year-old daughter, Skylar, and two quirky shih tzus. In her spare time, Michaela practices yoga, sews and attempts to correct the errors in her self-taught knitting technique. "I'd like to say that the Maine Women's Fund sought me out, but the truth is that my excitement about and belief in the Fund's mission led me to approach the Fund about joining the board. I'm thrilled to join this group of talented, amazing women working to invest in the future of Maine women and girls." 
Laura Tarbox Desmarais is an award-winning branding and public relations professional. As a PR maven, her passion is developing valued reputations. She has led teams in the creation of high visibility communications campaigns for Fortune 500 companies like Oracle, Lucent Technologies and Ingram Micro. She has also designed consumer promotion programs for industry leaders such as Nabisco, Hormel Chili and Six Flags. Laura is adept at creating brand awareness and has orchestrated successful product launches and repositioning campaigns geared to different constituent segments including: consumer, corporate and technical audiences. Her clients have received coverage in national media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. "I am honored to join the Maine Women's Fund Board. I look forward to working with this inspiring community and making a difference for women and girls in our state." 
Mish Morgenstern is an educator, photographer and film-maker. After years of exploring, traveling and teaching in the outdoors, Mish has decided the most effective way to change the world is through stories. Her twin passions of Oceans and Women come together in Maine. Her work with ocean-mission driven documentary film company, Compass Light, keeps her busy on a professional level while her work with the Maine Women's Fund allows her the opportunity to connect on many levels with women - from leadership programs, to grantmaking, to supporting and celebrating women's stories across the state. Mish lives in Rockland with a cute entrepreneur and two adorable kids. "I am delighted to be involved with the work of the Maine Women's Fund. As a resident of the Midcoast, I have seen first hand what a difference the programs and grants make in the lives of women and girls in our area. I am excited to hear more stories, help to fund more individuals and groups in their passionate work and be a part of a long tradition of women supporting women."
|
Calling all Women Entrepreneurs
| August 11
4:00 p.m.
Location: TBD
FMI: Kristin Chase Duffy
(774-5513)
We are looking for women entrepreneurs* to present at our 2011-12 Women Standing Together (WST) program. On August 11, we invite entrepreneurs to pitch our WST members. If it is a good fit for you and us, we will invite you to present at one of our 2011-12 WST lunches. Learn more!
At this meeting, we hope to hear from you about the high points of your business, key opportunities on the horizon and how you would best use the power of this network.
Pitches are limited to 10 minutes with 10-minute feedback sessions. Space is limited. Reservations are required.
*Entrepreneurs Criteria
- You must be a women entrepreneur (or "intrepreneur" - someone who acts like entrepreneur, except within a larger organization) in Maine
- You must be growth-focused --- emerging or growing a business
- You must be hungry and open to receiving feedback
- You must be innovative, focused with a clear vision and business model
- You must be bold/joyful/full of gumption
|
|
Thank you for reading,
Cathy, Hazel, Kristin, Lauren and Sonya
|
|
 The Maine Women's Fund thanks MaineShare for its ongoing support. MaineShare makes it easy to donate to more than 30 statewide organizations working every day to make Maine a better place to live. For more information, please visit the website. |
|
|
|
|
