Press Release - For Immediate Release

Date: March 15, 2011
Contact: Jackie Dupont – 207.861.8131

Hardy Girls Celebrates Girls Who Rock!

WATERVILLE, ME — Hardy Girls Healthy Women will celebrate Maine girls during its 4th annual Girls Rock! Weekend, April 8th-10th.  

Girls Rock! Weekend, a three-day, statewide event honoring girls’ voices, leadership, and activism, will kick-off on Friday, April 8th in Waterville with the 13th annual Girls Unlimited! Conference, Powered by Girl.  Focusing on media literacy, girls’ health, and strategies for social change, the conference will feature workshops developed and presented by girls for girls in grades 4-8 and all are invited to attend.  Registration is $10 before April 4th, $15 afterward.  Scholarships are available.

The 3rd annual Girls Rock! Awards, held on Friday April 8th at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center at the University of Maine at Augusta, will honor the following five girls who are using their voices in bold and powerful ways to make Maine a better place for all girls:

Title IX Award: Katy Massey, 17, of Waterville
Health Advocacy Award: Julia Brown, 16, of Brunswick
Against the Odds Award: Alicia Fournier, 12, of Scarborough
Community Organizing Award: Katie Zema, 18, of South Portland
Entrepreneurship Award: Eleanor Fisk, 14, of Crawford    

“Being in the presence of such amazing girls is an honor and a gift.  Each girl makes a difference in her own world and the broader culture beyond.  Social change is hard and messy; it requires determination and involves risk.  I love how these girls look challenges squarely in the face and say ‘Charge!’  They inspire each of us to step up, use our voices, and advocate for a vibrant, strong, and richly rewarding world for all girls,” said Hardy Girls Healthy Women’s Board President, Anne Belden.

Hardy Girls will also honor Vinitha Nair, founder and executive director of Platform Shoes Forum, with the Co-Creator Award, given annually to a young woman whose work is advancing Hardy Girls’ vision.  Commenting on this year’s choice, co-founder Karen Heck said, “Vini’s commitment to engaging girls all over the state and country in STEM initiatives with the ultimate goal that girls will be qualified to work and excel in these fields — therefore supporting themselves financially — is a perfect fit with Hardy Girls’ mission and vision.”

The Girls Rock! Awards are free and open to the public but an RSVP is required.  

On Saturday, April 9th, Girls Rock! Weekend will move south with a performance of “That Takes Ovaries!: Bold Girls, Brave Acts” at One Longfellow Square in Portland.  Written by Rivka Solomon and Bobbi Ausubel and directed by Cathy Plourde of Add Verb Productions, “That Takes Ovaries!” honors real-life stories from girls about gutsy, outrageous, and courageous acts they have done. Following the performance, HGHW will open the stage to audience members who wish to share their stories of daring.  Tickets are $5 for adults and children (recommended ages 10+) attend free.

The three-day celebration will wrap up with the Poetry Mashup and Open Mic on Sunday, April 10th, where girls and women are invited to share their creative work, poetry, music, or spoken word. The event will be held from 12-1:30 in Huskins Lounge, Eastport Hall, at the University of Maine at Augusta's Bangor campus, University College of Bangor.  This event is free and open to the public.

To find out more about the events or to register, visit www.hghw.org or call 861-8131.

Hardy Girls Healthy Women is a non-profit located in Waterville, Maine working to ensure all women and girls are independent, safe, and equal in their everyday lives.  
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