 |
Women of Achievement, Inc. was founded in 1984 by a group of women dedicated to
honoring the extraordinary women who have made Memphis and Shelby County better through their lives and accomplishments. The coalition of diverse civic and professional groups and support agencies organizes events to recognize and celebrate these women.
Women of Achievement
Annual Changemakers' Forum
Sunday, March 28 - Women, Wages and Work: Breaking Barriers, Paying our Way
Panelists:
Teri Craven
WA Honoree for Courage 2010
Rev. Rebekah Jordan Gienapp
WA Honoree for Determination 2007
Susan Stephenson
WA Honoree for Initiative 2006
Linda Williams
RISE Foundation
Reception following program
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
1900 Union Avenue
Free and open to the public.
Time to celebrate
The 26th Annual Women of Achievement awards celebration will be held March 14 starting at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn – University of Memphis, 3700 Central Avenue. Here are details about this year’s awards reception:
Tickets are $25. Payment should be received or postmarked by March 9. Make checks payable to Women of Achievement and mail to P.O. Box 830353, Memphis, TN 38182-0353. Major credit cards will be accepted by phone at 525-7510.
The 2010 honorees have been selected. They are:
Courage — Teri Craven, union organizer
Determination — Onie Johns, founder of Caritas Village in Binghamton
Heritage — Phoebe Omlie, pioneer aviator and record breaker
Heroism — Jasmine Gray, founder of Jaz’s Jammies, for collecting pajamas for ill and abused children
Initiative — Rev. Sonia Walker, with careers in broadcasting, nonprofit management and Christian ministry
Steadfastness — Dr. Laverne T. Gurley, radiographer, teacher and researcher who has made important contributions to mammography
Vision — Melvena Leake, founder of Karat Place, transitional housing for female ex-offenders
Our officers:
Three active Memphis women were elected to lead Women Of Achievement for the current year.  From left to right, Patti Smith, secretary, Regina Walker, treasurer, Susan Mackenzie, president.
Dates to save:
Sunday, March 14, 2010 – Awards event
Sunday, March 28 2010, 3 - 5 p.m. — Women of Achievement Change-Makers Forum, at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, 1900 Union Avenue. Topic: “Women, Work and Wages: Breaking Barriers, Paying Our Way.”
|
 |
2010's Women of Achievement are: |
Courage – Teri Craven, union organizer |
Determination – Onie Johns, founder of Caritas Village in Binghamton |
Vision – Melvena Leake, founder of Karat Place, transitional housing for female ex-offenders |
Heroism – Jasmine Gray, founder of Jaz’s Jammies, for collecting pajamas for ill and abused children |
Initiative – Rev. Sonia Walker, with careers in broadcasting, nonprofit management and Christian ministry |
Steadfastness – Dr. Laverne T. Gurley, radiographer, teacher and researcher who has made important contributions to mammography |
 Heritage – Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie, pioneer aviator and record breaker |
|
| (view last year's honorees) |
2009 panel discussion delves into the legacies of activism
Three Women of Achievement honorees from years past and their children spoke about community activism and making a difference in the 2009 Change Makers Panel
at the Hooks Central Library in Memphis.
The annual event occurs during National Women’s History Month and is part of the coalition’s year-long celebration of women and their achievements. About 40 people were in the audience this year for the topic “Change-Makers: A Legacy of Achievers.”
Panel participants included: Happy Jones, 1992 Determination awardee, and her daughter Dottie Jones; Kathy Kastan, 2005 Heroism winner, and her son Ben Kastan, and Modeane Thompson, 2007 honoree for Courage and her daughter Andrea Thompson Adam.
The six talked about
their work and advocacy and how that has translated across generations.
All three of the children, who have found their own way to work for change, credited their mothers and others for a sense of responsibility to work beyond their own circles to make the community better.
A reception before the event was sponsored by the United Way of the Mid-South. Welcome was by WA co-founder Deborah Clubb and current president Susan Mackenzie. Regina Walker, of the United Way, gave closing remarks. |
