| 2018 Leadership Luncheon - Tickets On Sale Now |
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A Message from the Executive Director
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The Leadership Luncheon is only a week away, and we are so excited about it! Kimberly writes about our featured grantees below, and I want to write just a few things about our awardees and honoree - enough to get you interested, but not nearly enough to make you think you can skip the Luncheon. The program is important, of course, but the
event, the
whole big shebang of an event is worth the time. Speaking of time, it's running short. We have a few seats left, but not many at this point.
Get your ticket now.
Awardee Mufalo Chitam is a native of Zambia and has lived in Maine for 18 years. She is part of the group that started
Empower the Immigrant Woman, an early Swift Social Justice grantee, and more recently was hired as Executive Director of the
Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition. Mufalo talks truth to power, (anyone else at Eggs & Issues last week?) will not cede her own power, and is an all-around kick-ass addition to our community of strong, gritty Maine women.
Awardee Erin French, Owner / Chef of
The Lost Kitchen, has her hands full right now. After shutting down the local phone lines with calls for reservations last year, she asked anyone who wanted to eat at her restaurant this year to send a 3x5 card. And so they did - to the tune of 10,000 pieces of mail. Her story is powerful, too, and shows you can go home again, you can overcome odds you never saw coming, yet are too common among women, and still become a crazy international success.
 Honoree Bella Cimeno is young, but by no means is she naive to the world outside her home town of Blue Hill. She's been on planes, sure, but her preferred mode of transportation - across the country - is by bicycle. Yep,
she's crossed the country, by herself, twice. She's got the chutzpah we love to see in each other. And it's not just about go-go-going for her: during her travels she raises funds for organizations she cares about, bringing in over $5,000 to the Maine Women's Fund last year. It is our honor to know Bella.
In addition to the two featured grantee speakers presented below, all of our 21 grantees will be present to talk about their programs, and to the extent possible, a grantee will be at each table so that you will learn more deeply about their work.
Buy your table, Leadership Circle tickets, or single ticket today. If you are able, add a little more to help support the grantees', awardees, and honorees complimentary meals.
I am excited to see you next week,
Megan Hannan
Executive Director
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All the Rage
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
- One in five Mainers will experience sexual assault at some point in their lifetime.
- Each year, 14,000 Mainers will experience sexual violence. However, in 2015, only 373 rapes or attempted rapes were reported to Maine law enforcement.
- A recent study found that nearly one in five adult Maine residents reports that they have been the victim of rape or attempted rape during their lifetime; 35.7% of female respondents and 10.1% of male respondents have experienced this devastating crime at some point in their lives.
- 17.2% of Maine high school students - 23.4% of girls and 11.1% of boys - report having been the target of offensive sexual comments at school or on the way to or from school in their lifetime.
- In a study of girls who were committed and/or detained at Maine's Long Creek Youth Development Center between December 2001 and September 2002, 20% of the girls reported a history of sexual abuse or rape.
- Portland Maine's Preble Street Resource Center reports that 44% of women interviewed for their report Women and Homelessness reported being a victim of sexual assault since becoming homeless.
People in college, especially those aged 18-24, have a higher likelihood of sexual assault. People with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and people of color of all ages and educational backgrounds have a higher likelihood of being assaulted, with American Indian and Alaskan Natives experiencing sexual violence at higher rates than any other population.
MECASA, in partnership with local sexual assault centers across the state, now not only provides 24 hour hotline support at 1-800-871-7741, but also the ability to
text or chat live with their staff between 8 AM - 5 PM.
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| In a Flash: What is Driving Our Work |
Gedakina is a network, a movement of like-minded community members and allies working to provide resources and opportunities for Native American/indigenous youth, women and families from rural, urban and reservation communities across New England, and beyond.
Braiding Sweetgrass supports grassroots community based projects, inspired and led by women and girls. Project organizers promote self-determination, cultural continuance, and well-being, while organizing programs focused on sexual and domestic violence prevention and healing, as well as cultural and social activities of importance to women and girls.
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On behalf of the staff and board of the Maine Women's Fund, thank you for
investing in the power of women and girls!
Office location:
74 Lunt Road, Suite 100, Falmouth, ME 04105
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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.
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