Activities
10.14.2009
CWEALF Honors 2009 Maria Miller Stewart Awardees
Louise Simmons with Alice Pritchard and Dan Livingston 
Cee Cee Woods at podium 
Dorsey Kendrick (center) with Alice Pritchard (left) and Margaret Bauer (right). 
Left to right: Paul Dickes, Shirley Dickes, Lori Pelletier, and Sherri Zjack 
Lucy Potter (center) with Sharon Langer (left) and Alice Pritchard (right) Thank you to everyone who turned out for this year's One Woman Makes a Difference awards event!
With five inspiring honorees and 300 attendees, we are counting 2009 as one of our most successful events yet!
The 2009 Maria Miller Stewart honorees were:
Shirley Dickes: As a union organizer, Shirley Dickes strives each and every day to make sure others are protected and have every opportunity to succeed. Since the mid 1990s Shirley has been on IAM Local 700’s executive board as Recording Secretary. She has also served as chair of the union’s Community Services Committee as well as an elected delegate from Local 700 to the IAM’s International convention. As the chair of the Women’s Committee, Shirley has coordinated seminars and workshops to provided opportunities for union women to learn more about women’s rights, women’s history and the importance of being safe and secure financially. Under Shirley’s leadership women have become active within the local union and have made a positive impact on Local 700. CWEALF is proud to honor Shirley for her steadfast and often unseen efforts to improve the lives of women and workers throughout the state.
Dorsey Kendrick: Dorsey Kendrick is a committed educator and administrator who has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for her students. Since 1999, Dorsey has served as president of Gateway Community College. In that time, enrollment has leaped from below 3,000 students to almost 6,000. Dorsey works to expand students’ opportunities by providing them with the best possible choice that will enrich their lives and enable students to support themselves and their families. While Dorsey has worked to expand opportunities for all students, she understands that women and girls face particular obstacles and challenges to meeting their educational and professional goals. Dorsey is dedicated to raising awareness about these issues and promoting programs that inspire girls and women to achieve their goals. CWEALF is proud to recognize Dorsey for her commitment to women’s rights and her dedication to students pursuing their educational goals.
Lucy Potter: Lucy Potter is an accomplished attorney and a dedicated activist whose work has improved the lives of women and low-income families throughout Connecticut. Since 1984 she has worked as an attorney with Greater Hartford Legal Aid (GHLA) and is equally respected by the clients, lawyers and judges with whom she works. Lucy has worked diligently to raise awareness about the disadvantages that many encounter in their daily lives. Her work on behalf of low-wage women has intersected with CWEALF’s advocacy over the years, particularly as it has been related to child support and welfare issues. Lucy has also been a strong advocate for legislation to improve the child support system in Connecticut. Lucy is a quiet but powerful advocate for poor women and has gained the respect and admiration of advocates, clients, and policymakers. CWEALF is proud to honor Lucy for her steadfast commitment to better the lives of under-served women and families in Connecticut.
Louise Simmons: Louise Simmons’ scholarship, organizing, and advocacy efforts in the Greater Hartford community and in Connecticut are testament to her extraordinary commitment to social and economic justice. Her systematic, undaunting, and hell raising efforts have led to radical change for workers, particularly women. Since her arrival to the Hartford area in the 1970s, Louise has been working tirelessly on a myriad of social justice issues, including the anti-war movement, campaigns to free political prisoners and stop police brutality, women’s equality, anti-racism, welfare rights, and community-labor coalition building. She organizes in deliberate ways to bring about political and social change and actively participates in larger social movements. Louise has been a leader in advancing women’s rights and opportunities. CWEALF is proud to honor Louise’s dedication and leadership to the advancement of women and social justice in Connecticut.
Cee Cee Woods: Cee Cee Woods has dedicated her life to improving the status of women both regionally and nationally. In particular Cee Cee has focused on supporting low income and minority women’s access to education, employment, job training, child care and transportation. For 23 years Cee Cee served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Research Director for the Senate Majority Office. During this time she was instrumental in effecting state policy and funding decisions that supported economic self-sufficiency for women, pay equity and an end to discrimination, all issues central to CWEALF’s mission. Among her many accomplishments at the Capitol, Cee Cee helped to design the first-in-the-nation family medical leave policy and was heavily involved in the creation of Connecticut’s Family Resource Centers. CWEALF is proud to honor Cee Cee for her dedication and leadership to the advancement of women and girls in Connecticut.
CWEALF would like to thank Universal Health Care Foundation, Day Pitney's Women Working Together, and Goodwin College for their sponsorship of this year's event!
Downloadable Files
Dorsey Kendrick's Remarks: The Daffodil Story (1.8 MB)
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