Women, Work and Community Champion

Today is the day for Women, Work and Community's 30th Year Celebration in Bangor, Maine. I am very excited to be part of this event.

As some of you know, WWC selected me to be one of their Champions for my volunteer work with the organization. I participated (as a student) in many of their free courses: Financing Your Future, Assertiveness Training, Creating Your Future (a skills and values clarification workshop), Basics of Business, and New Ventures (a 60 hour course on writing a business plan). These were--and are--invaluable courses that definitely helped me define who I am as a business person.

Along with the continued support I receive from WWC, I have been invited to speak to several WWC classes as a graduate. Most recently, Liz Grandmaison and I did a workshop for the current New Ventures class on using the internet for marketing. It was a sheer delight!

About a year ago, I also co-taught a class with Jane Searles, Regional Manager of WWC. The five week class was called "Steps to Economic Success," and, though I felt my teaching skills were a bit rusty, I enjoyed watching from a teacher's perspective the growth and changes in those who participated in the course.

And, tonight, WWC celebrates 30 years of providing support to Maine's communities. Ironically, as the celebration moves forward, WWC is actually going through some painful budgetary cuts. Like all of us, they are feeling the strain of our struggling economy. So, in our small way, the organizers of the WWC event have made pies and will be asking for a donation at tonight's event.

Here is just a sampling:

Chocolate Brownie Tart (with White Chocolate on the Top)



Pies in Progress



Finished Pies

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart, Dark Chocolate Tart with Cherry Coulis, and Chocolate Brownie Tart



If you see this and wish to attend the event, here are the details:

Women, Work and Community 30th Celebration
The College Center
Texas Avenue, University Campus
Bangor, ME 04401
4-6pm
$7 Suggested Donation at the door (includes light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages); Pies $3-5 donation per slice

Hope to see you there!

Cheers!--Janyce

Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon Spiced Pecans

Ooooh-la-la! I am testing out chocolate pie recipes for the April 30th fundraiser for Women, Work and Community. Before last week, when I found this recipe on Epicurious.com, I never knew Mexican chocolate existed. Boy, was I missing out. It is all I can do to keep myself from diving into the tart before my guests get here. Maybe I can talk them into starting with dessert...

Looking for Women Work and Community Participants - Past and Present

Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community (formerly Displaced Homemakers) has provided free training, advocacy and assistance to Maine's women for 30 years. They help people across Maine in four program areas: career building, business startup, money management and leadership development.

Throughout this year, WWC is hosting 30th Celebrations in key locations around the state. On April 30th, the Bangor Region is having a party. If you are from the region and have participated and/or supported WWC, you are invited to attend. The hope is to get in contact with and bring together as many participants and supporters as possible.

The 30th Celebration is 4-6pm in the Campus Ballroom on the University College Bangor, ME. A $7 donation is suggested at the door--and this includes refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages. Pie will be available for a donation of $5 a slice, $30 for the whole pie--with proceeds going to WWC's programs in the Bangor region. Two gift baskets will also be raffled off.

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP by April 22, 2009 by emailing Jane Searles, Regional Manager at searles@maine.edu or calling Diana Campbell at 1-207-262-7840.

Also--if you are still in contact with people from WWC workshops you attended, please feel free to pass along this information.

Hope to see you there!--Janyce