For Immediate Release

Women and Girls Fund Names 2009 Women of Distinction Award Honorees

Waukesha, Wis. -- March 25, 2009 -- The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County announces the recipients of the 2009 Women of Distinction, Family of Women of Distinction, and Young Woman of Tomorrow Awards. This year’s Women of Distinction honorees are Kate Bloomberg of Brookfield, Mary Lodes of Pewaukee and Joan Shafer of Pewaukee. Sandy Wolff and Robin Busalacchi of Brookfield were named the Family of Women of Distinction, and Megan McNulty of Waukesha was named the Young Woman of Tomorrow.
 
The honorees will be recognized at the Women of Distinction Awards luncheon event on May 5, 2009, at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha. Proceeds from this annual event support the Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County, a fund of the Waukesha County Community Foundation. Honorees will receive awards created by photography artist Sylke Vonk.

The Judging Committee was chaired by Lynn M. Revoy, vice president of learning and student services, Waukesha County Technical College, and winner of the Women of Distinction Award in 1996; and Emily Lorenz, community volunteer, who was named by the Volunteer Center as Volunteer of the Year in 2007.
 
Serving on the committee were Jane Delzer, community volunteer and 2003 Family of Women of Distinction winner; Linda Caldart-Olson, community volunteer and currently board president of the Food Pantry of Waukesha County; Patti Wallner, president, Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce; the Rev. William W. Humphreys, chaplain and instructor at Carroll University; and Michael Bohren, circuit court judge.

Kate Bloomberg has had an extensive career in public service and philanthropy, demonstrating a deep commitment to the residents of the City of Brookfield, the Elmbrook School District and the greater Brookfield area. She served 20 years in the City of Brookfield government, including five terms as mayor. She played a key role in the establishment of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, the founding of Foxbrook Park, establishment of a Greenway Trail System of bike and pedestrian trails and connection with the sister city of Seligenstadt, Germany. She was instrumental in establishing regional partnerships for combined dispatch, shared library software, health insurance pooling and a county-wide trunked radio system, serving as a model of regional fiscal responsibility. She brought leadership to the League of Women Voters, the Wisconsin League of Municipalities, The Greater Milwaukee Red Cross, the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Friends of the Brookfield Public Library, St. Catherine Residence, the United Way in Waukesha County, the United States Water Works and the Brookfield Congregational Church, where she has served as moderator for the past two years. As a young businesswoman, she invented “Shrinky Dinks” in her kitchen. Throughout her life, this visionary has encouraged women to participate and excel in leadership positions.
 
Mary Lodes is an inspirational leader and a mentor in her role as vice president and chief nurse executive at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, assuring excellence in the daily care of patients. Her inclusive style builds motivation, momentum and teamwork around core issues of quality, patient safety, patient satisfaction and nursing excellence. She was instrumental in launching Waukesha Memorial’s Community Outreach Nursing Program, which places nurses in 32 churches, schools and social service agencies to work with those who lack adequate access to medical services. She launched NICHE, a program helping improve patients’ transitions between hospital and nursing care. Mary has been a volunteer and community board member for the Prevention and Protection of Abused Children organization and the Interfaith Senior Programs, where she assisted staff in creating connections in faith communities and with healthcare volunteers that has helped seniors and adults with disabilities remain independent. She serves on advisory councils with Carroll University, Alverno College, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Waukesha County Technical College. Through her work with these institutions and area high schools, she has laid the foundation for interest and education in health careers, which is vital to the quality of life in our community for the long term.

 
Joan Shafer began her career at We Energies in a summer job, then as a management trainee and has risen to the role of vice president of customer services. Today she oversees a staff of more than 700 employees supporting over a million customers. In 2008, the company achieved the highest levels of customer satisfaction in a decade. Joan shares her expertise with others as a conference speaker and serves as chair of the customer service committee for the Edison Electric Institute. She serves on the board of the United Way in Waukesha, chairing the basic needs committee, which supports the 12 percent of our county population that is considered low income or working poor. She served on the task force that led to the merger of the United Way and the Volunteer Center to more effectively and efficiently serve the community. She chairs the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, is past president of the board of trustees for the Milwaukee Montessori School and continues to serve as an ex-officio member of that board. Joan is a compassionate and effective work-life balance role model as she nurtures and supports her two young daughters, Annie and Maggie.
 
Sandy Wolff and her daughter, Robin Busalacchi, have demonstrated high levels of integrity and leadership and a strong commitment to the City of Brookfield and Waukesha County communities. Sandy served as a County Board Supervisor for the past 20 years and is currently chairman of the Waukesha County Aging and Disability Resource Committee, which focuses on long-term care issues. Sandy co-launched the Elmbrook Senior Taxi, based on the Silver Streak service in Oconomowoc. The Senior Taxi offers low cost, dependable transportation to seniors and disabled passengers, providing more than 5,000 rides annually. Ninety percent of its riders are women. Together, this family duo is tirelessly dedicated to maintaining this vital service for the citizens of Brookfield and the surrounding communities. Robin served 5 ½ years as executive director of the Elmbrook Education Foundation, promoting educational excellence in the school district. She was also instrumental in bringing back the Brookfield/Elm Grove white and yellow pages as a valued resource. Together, Sandy and Robin motivate others to excellence. The five other siblings of this family are all actively engaged in community support as well, serving as members of the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors, the board of Friess Lake School, the Boy Scouts, the Elmbrook School referendum committee and as school volunteers.
 
Megan McNulty is a senior at Catholic Memorial High School (CMH) in Waukesha and has been a member of a not-for-profit board, has successfully managed a major fundraising event, has volunteered regularly, and has held leadership roles in school. Currently, Megan serves on the board and volunteers twice weekly teaching Adobe Photoshop, running the dark room, and serving as a role model at the Waukesha Community Art Project, an organization that has received grants from the Women and Girls Fund for its “Girls at Risk” program. She bakes birthday cakes for women and children at local women’s shelters and has been a Waukesha County Christmas Clearing Council volunteer since 7th grade. As a student at CMH, she has been elected to the student council, elected sophomore class president, selected as a student ambassador to middle schools and named varsity girls volleyball manager. Last fall, with the support of the CMH school board and principal, she created a haunted house in an old campus structure as a fundraiser. In this effort, Megan set up a Facebook page, recruited student volunteers, coordinated meetings and ultimately raised $5000 through the event, donating $2500 to Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County. CMH wants to make the haunted house an annual event.
 
During the luncheon honoring these women, the 2009 Women and Girls Fund grants, which are supported in part from the proceeds of the luncheon, will be awarded to area agencies.
 
For more information or to order luncheon tickets, please contact Lynne Foltz, Waukesha County Community Foundation, at 262-513-1861 or go online at www.waukeshafoundation.org, Women of Distinction.
 
The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County supports programs and organizations that help women and girls overcome obstacles and achieve success. Grants focus on programs that offer education arts, cultural opportunities, and health and human services. The Women and Girls Fund is a permanent fund of the Waukesha County Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.waukeshafoundation.org.

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Contacts:

Name: Dave Schultz
Company: Waukesha County Community Foundation
Phone: 262-513-1861
Email: dschultz@waukeshafoundation.org