E-Quality Matters

Must Women Do Everything Differently?

Given that heart attacks are still the number one killer of women, Dr. Christopher Bartlett's recent article "Women's Heart attack symptons often subtle" was frightening. According to a 2003 study, women suffer very different, non-stereo-typical symptoms of heart attacks. Bartlett says:

- Almost half of women experience no chest pain during a heart attack.

- If there is pain, pressure, or discomfort, it may occur in the chest, but it may also appear in the upper back, jaw, shoulders, and arm.

- Many women also experience indigestion, nausea, and dizziness.

- Women will also experience a cluster of symptons one month or more before the heart attack. These symptons may include fatigue, sleep disturbance, or shortness of breath.

Check out the full article from Sunday's Maine Sunday Telegram. Who knows when it might come it handy.

Real Life Real Talk

Satirical, but amusing, commentary by Tony Newman in the Huffington Post -- equating the impact of random drug testing with the impact of random virginity testing and arguing that neither get you what you want -- Safe Kids. If he is a aware of the campaign, Newman would be a proponent of Real Life Real Talk -- an initiatve by Planned Parenthood supporting tough but real conversations between parents and teens (specifically about sex). The initiative is being piloted in none other than Portland, Maine (along with two other obviously critical markets). If you haven't caught their national commercials -- be on the look out or just pay a quick visit to youtube to see my favorite clip.

The New Girls Fund for Social Change funded a Real Life Real Talk production (created by our favorite social change theatre group Adverb Productions). A team of staff and volunteers produced a very cool video on the subject. Check it out here.

Why I Got Involved with MWF

By Guest Author: Rebekah J. Smith

Why did I get involved with the Maine Women's Fund?  That is the question I was asked to blog about.  The answer is easy:  Nancy Wanderer.  When I was a law student several years ago, Professor Wanderer repeatedly told me about an exciting feminist organization on whose board she served that she thought I would be interested in.  Consumed with my studies, I was intrigued, but had little time for anything else.  Nancy persevered, and the fall after I graduated, Nancy called me with a last minute invitation to the MWF Dinner due to her partner’s illness.   I went.  I was hooked – on the mission, the energy, the commitment, the progress!  From that day forward, Nancy and I brainstormed ways I could get involved, complete with Nancy walking me several blocks up Congress Street after lunch one day so I could meet the MWF staff. 

Many years later, I have just completed six years of Board service, including taking part in the exciting launch of the New Girls Network and New Girls Fund for Social Change.  I look forward to many more years of participation in the work of MWF. which allows me to have an impact that magnifies both the time and money I can give by pooling it with the contributions of others who share my values.  I know firsthand how seriously the MWF takes its job of stewarding the donations it receives towards organizations that allow women to take bold, progressive, and critical steps towards true equality.  My hope for Maine women and girls is that they continue to find new ways to express their beliefs, utilize their talents, and impart their wisdom, and that the community that supports those efforts continues to thrive.

What is your story?

Ask any of our founding mothers and they will tell you: “We were women getting together to help other women -- what more fun could there be!” That’s how the Maine Women’s Fund started – a group of passionate feminists started talking about how they could help other women. They started out as friends getting together, inviting new friends. Then they started aggregating their philanthropic dollars -- $50 here, $200 there. It added up and soon they were making grants to organizations that were helping other women, helping young girls. The concept grew and grew, and today we have a community of over 1000 donors and 250 grantees.

But back in the day, we knew each other personally. Before we dig into the deeper issues, let us start by sharing our individual stories. Who are you? How did you get involved in the Maine Women’s Fund and why? What motivates you? What are your hopes and dreams for Maine's women and girls?