Evening to Honor Maine Women & Girls

Linda Greenlaw
2007 Sarah Orne Jewett Award Winner and Keynote Speaker

When publishers asked Linda Greenlaw to write a book about how she become one of the East Coasts’ best sword fishermen (sic) and ship captains–a male dominated and dangerous profession–she declined at first. She told them she could make more money actually fishing for a season that writing about it. Thankfully, the publishers presisted, and Linda has gone on to write five books. In addition to cultivating respect and appreciation for Maine ways and waters, she has used her voice and notoriety to help young people in Maine through Coastal Studies for Girls. Linda talks about the organization on her book tours, includes bookmarks about the nonprofit in her books and served a the honorary chair for CSFG’s capital campaign. Linda just completed her book signing tour for her latest book, Slip Knot, and plans to continue to fish the waters near Isle Au Haut, Maine. Linda will direct the $2000 grant that comes with the Sarah Orne Jewett Award to the nonprofit of her choice, Coastal Studies for Girls.

This year we decided to highlight the work of the six finalists for the Maine Women’s Fund Awards. Please join us at the event to see who wins and celebrate the accomplishments of all of these amazing women!

Vinitha Nair & Erin E. Reilly As young entrepreneurial women in the late 1990s, Erin & Vini wanted to find a way to engage girls in math, science and technology skills. With so many future jobs requiring these types of skills, they feared that young women would be left behind financially. This inspired them to launch their first program Zoey’s Room, in 2001. Today Zoey’s Room, and its nonprofit parent, Platform Shoes, offers girls between the ages of 10-14 an online community where they can learn about STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math). Erin & Vini created “cyphibian” avatars for Zoey and Mya, who speaks Spanish, to talk with girls about the possibilities of careers in the sciences. In Zoey’s Room, girls have a chance to meet Fab Femmes–women who work in the technological fields. Erin & Vini are noted for their model of Internet safety. They have pioneered a double verification system to ensure the girls’ on-line safety and have created ZR Clubs where the girls can meet after school and work on projects together. Erin and Vini were nominated by Dr. Ann H. Brockette.

Deahna Giguere and Thalia Matthews Nationally, 40% of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. Deahna and Thalia are working to correct this injustice by engaging girls, communities and corporations. As leaders of the Girls Advisory Council at Hardy Girls Healthy Women in Waterville, both young women have been advocates for stopping and preventing domestic violence. Last winter, while collecting supplies at Kmart, for a domestic violence shelter, they noticed a boy’s t-shirt that was for sale. On the shirt were two images: the first was a girl yelling at a boy and the second was the girl falling out of the frame, having been struck by the boy. Deahna and Thalia spoke out at a press conference against Kmart and Sears Incorporated (Kmart’s parent company) concerning the t-shirt. They argued that domestic violence should not be treated as a joke to boys in Maine, nor anywhere else. As a result of their determination, the t-shirt was pulled in Maine and throughout the nation. Deahna is a freshman at St. Michael’s College in Vermont. Thalia will be applying to college this fall to become a nurse. Thalia and Deahna were nominated by Jackie Dupont.

Betty Fortuin
Betty Fortuin is the Director of the Transition and Reunification Programs at the Maine Correctional Center, a program of Volunteers of America, and has worked for more than ten years with imprisoned women. Betty has established an award-winning, and innovative program that is currently being used as a model for similar programs in the country. Nintey-five percent of the women Volunteers of America serves in prison are victims of domestic violence. Betty understands that a women’s path to breaking the law is often a series of multiple, interconnected issues, including trauma and victimization, and mental illness tied to early abuse. Her program is the only program of its kind in this country that gives women the tools to make alternative decisions while they are still serving their sentence. The national rate is 70% and Maine has an impressive 20% rate of recidivism among women. Betty has changed the way the corrections systems work with women who are victims of domestic violence. She has changed attitudes, policies and shaped future planning around women’s issues and how their histories of domestic violence are a focus point for treatment and services. She is an incredible woman who continues to fight for victims of domestic violence and never takes no for an answer. She is strong, compassionate and is the consummate advocate. Betty was nominated by her co-worker, Jennifer Goldman.

Sarah Standiford
Sarah Standiford serves as Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby and it’s sister organization, the Maine Women’s Policy Center. She oversees the public policy development, research, and organizing efforts of these two multi-issue women’s organizations dedicated to expanding opportunities for all Maine women and girls. Sarah has worked for the Maine Women’s Lobby and the Maine Women’s Policy Center for four years. She serves as a role model and mentor for many women, who work to advance women’s issues and promote gender equality in Maine. She has worked tirelessly to eliminate pay inequities and to protect working families by endorsing paid medical leave for Maine workers. She has also taken the lead when challenges to reproductive privacy and freedom from violence arise. Sarah’s recent appointment by Governor Baldacci to the Council on Jobs, Innovation and the Economy (aka the Brookings Group) speaks volumes of the Governor’s confidence in Sarah’s ability to work collaboratively with the business community to ensure the advancement of long-term economic opportunities for women. Sarah was nominated by her co-worker, Mary Denison.