- Kathy Stevens
Executive Director, MCAEL
12/4/2023
In times of crisis, we often hear the refrain 'look for the helpers' as a guiding principle. However, in these days of divisions in our world, I am more interested in finding a principle to guide everyday actions and work. I am looking for the “connectors” as my guides for living and working in community.
In the span of a recent week, I had the privilege of celebrating three extraordinary women who are the embodiment of being a connector. Sharon Friedman, honored with the Lifetime Corporate & Community Impact Award, stands out as a connector across sectors, tirelessly linking individuals in our community to cement cross sector work as an approach to our most pressing community challenges. Cecilia Rojas, the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Maryland TESOL, not only has run an outstanding adult ESOL program for 30 years, but also recognizes the significance of connecting students' children to child-care and going beyond simply managing the program to providing personal support to her constituents on a myriad of life challenges. Lastly, I was privileged to know Sally Rudney, a force of nature in linking businesses and donors to nonprofits and connecting all of us to big ideas to improve the community for everyone. She leaves behind a legacy of visionary connections.
Connections are synonymous with the definition of community, yet often people see their communities as something insular, representing just people like them. A more generous and expanded definition is what we should aspire to – and what these three women achieved.
