YWCA Rhode Island to host event honoring Women of Achievement

PROVIDENCE – YWCA Rhode Island will host its ninth annual Women of Achievement awards luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln.

Eleven women will receive awards for their accomplishments in industry, culture and public service.

The event, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m., is open to the public.

Recipients of the annual award are recognized as leaders, role models and mentors who exemplify the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people.

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Deborah L. Perry, president and CEO of YWCA Rhode Island, will present the awards. Deborah L. Ruggiero, host of the award-winning local radio program “Amazing Women,” will emcee the event.

2013 Women of Achievement award recipients:

  • Cheryl A. Burrell, administrator of the R.I. Human Resources Outreach and Diversity Office and a state employee for more than 33 years.

  • Anna Cano-Morales, chair of the Central Falls School District board of trustees and director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University.

  • Letitia Carter, a founder of the Coggeshall Farm Museum, Bristol, and of the Fiber Co-op at Slater Mill Historic Site, Pawtucket; president of the board of Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

  • Stephanie Chafee, Rhode Island’s first lady, one of the first nurses in the state to work exclusively with HIV/AIDS patients, and a founder of the Rhode Island Free Clinic in South Providence.

  • Jacqueline L. Dowdy, member advocate for Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, director of community outreach for St. James Baptist Church, and a member of DCYF’s Advisory Committee.

  • R.I. Air National Guard Major Lynne B. Hannon, founding director of the Women’s Mentoring Council for Army and Air National Guard personnel and a volunteer Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for her unit.

  • Sally Ann Hay, active with Options, Rhode Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender news magazine; organizer of Equity Action, a LGBT philanthropic fund at The Rhode Island Foundation; founding member of the McAuley Village Women’s Circle.

  • Eileen Hayes, president and CEO of Amos House, a comprehensive social service agency that includes training programs, a literacy program, Mother-Child Reunification Center and businesses that employ clients.

  • Sister Ann C. Keefe, minister at Saint Michael’s Parish, Providence, and a founder or co-founder of organizations including the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, Providence CityArts for Youth, AIDS Care Ocean State and Open Doors.

  • Julie A. Rawlings, the minority outreach specialist for Lifespan, and a member of the Commission for Health Advocacy and Equity and of the Rhode Island Healthcare Reform Commission.

  • Angela Romans, an associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, a national education policy research and reform support organization, chair of the award-winning Board of College Visions, and an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow.

To make reservations, call YWCA Rhode Island at (401) 769-7450 or register online at www.womenofachievementRI.org. The RSVP deadline is Thursday, Sept. 19.

Tickets cost $50 per person or $500 for a “Table of Tribute” that includes 10 tickets and a listing in the program booklet. For tickets, contact Lisa Piscatelli, director of community outreach and special events, at (401) 769-7450 or woa@ywcari.org.

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