On Sunday, The Durango Herald kicked off a month of stories about local women’s contributions in the world and in our community. On Tuesday, we looked at why Women’s History Month matters. But on Friday, the Women’s Resource Center had the honor of kicking off the month with its Extraordinary Women Luncheon.
One of the highlights? There were a lot of men there, for the most part celebrating their wives, mothers, sisters and bosses but also just some who get it, that when we allow women to reach their full potential, our families and our communities thrive.
The center honored three of the aforementioned extraordinary women, Gina Piccoli, Karen Midkiff and Eileen Wasserbach.
Piccoli, the owner/broker of Coldwell Banker Heritage House Realtors, has created a culture of giving in her business that led to Coldwell Banker being named Business of the Year at the Durango Chamber of Commerce awards in January.
Every year, as a company, they pick a nonprofit to support. Throughout the year, they encourage brokers, real estate agents and staff to support the charity of choice, including volunteering at events, culminating with their holiday party. Guests at the fête are encouraged to make at least a $10 donation, with all funds going to the nonprofit.
But giving is something Piccoli does quietly all year every year. Women’s Resource Center President Leslie Gannon-Meiering said Piccoli once heard about a young mother who desperately needed housing, so Piccoli bought a house and rented it to her below market rate. When a van was needed to transport veterans to a clinic, she made it happen.
And in a little known fact, she was a longtime champion arm wrestler at Snowdown from years of carrying blocks around at Eagle Block, the business founded by her grandparents and still in the family today. (Although not up a flight of stairs, as Gannon-Meiering so vividly described.)
“She invests resources in the community every single day of her life,” Gannon-Meiering said. “She’s never shy to take out her checkbook and encourage other brokers to take theirs out, too.”
Piccoli said she was grateful for the strong females in her life but that she was fortunate to have “wonderful, strong male influences, too.” The first college graduate in her family, she went into real estate 35 years ago, when it was a male world. Now she runs one of the most successful brokerages in the area and is the first woman from Southwest Colorado to serve on the state Real Estate Commission.
Midkiff has guided the Mercy Health Foundation since she helped found it in 2000. The original goal was to raise a few tens of thousands of dollars for an ambulance, as Mercy Regional Medical Center operated the area emergency services at the time. She has gone on to raise millions of dollars, $11.5 million for the new hospital, $3.4 million for the comprehensive breast-care center, another $3.3 million for the Hospice of Mercy home and probably millions more for other things like equipment and helping the hospice to be able to provide its services regardless of ability to pay. Right now, Midkiff is in the middle of a campaign to raise money for the latest in cancer-care treatment.
If you, or someone you love, has been at Mercy for tests, treatment or as an in-patient, the quality of care received was enhanced by Midkiff’s tireless efforts.
She was also a board member of the Women’s Resource Center in the early years after its founding in 1987, and she served on the Durango Area Chamber Resort Association and American Cancer Society boards.
Presenter Beth Drum, vice chairwoman of the WRC board and former chairwoman of the Mercy foundation board, was delighted to present to her friend.
“She has some rules,” Drum said about Midkiff. “Always have a dream and make sure someone smarter than you is in the room at every meeting.”
Midkiff took the audience back to her time with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, when women couldn’t wear pants to work and had to quit when they were pregnant and began showing, just to show how far we have come.
“I have another rule I got from my mother,” she said. “Never do anything you would be embarrassed to see or read in the newspaper.”
Many people in Durango don’t know Wasserbach or anything about the agency she heads, Southern Ute Community Actions Programs, which is based in Ignacio. (Folks in Durango seem to think that 23-mile drive is the equivalent of going to Outer Mongolia for some reason.)
No matter what age people are in Ignacio, they are touched by SUCAP’s efforts, from early Head Start and Head Start to running the senior center. Road Runner intercity service between Bayfield, Ignacio and Durango as well as from Durango to Grand Junction and extensive workforce training are both among the programs she oversees. (The workforce training stretches across about 15 counties.)
Wasserbach, who has been with the agency for 25 years, spends countless hours writing grants and reports and managing resources, always with the mission in mind of making people’s lives better.
Presenter Susan Lander choked up some while talking about Wasserbach’s accomplishments but was honored to be asked to do so.
“It takes a certain skill,” she said, “to learn another community and really immerse yourself in it.”
Wasserbach said she was grateful for her role and her family, mentioning that her husband, Jack, cooks for her every day. (At my table, we said it would be a great day when that was no longer considered noteworthy but good for him.)
“I’m able to do things every day that matter,” she said. “Women need to learn to step up when it’s our turn to lead, step back when it’s our turn to be encouraging support and to ask for help when it’s our turn to need it.”
Tekla Miller, as the keynote speaker, explored the women in her life, her mother and her sister.
Miller is the author of The Warden who Wore Pink, about her time simultaneously managing a men’s maximum security prison and women’s multilevel prisons. But this talk was personal, about a mother who only completed the eighth grade but read a book every day. When she was 35, Miller’s mother participated in a study at Syracuse University where she earned the highest score by anyone at that time in religion, philosophy and psychology. They lived in poverty, especially after her husband died when Miller was 9. By the time she was 13, her mother could no longer deal with her depression and made the decision to die by suicide.
Enter Miller’s older sister, Alyce, who had been awarded a scholarship at Columbia University but because of a lack of self-confidence, gave it up to marry and had two children. At 23, despite working full time and living in an abusive marriage, she fought for custody of Miller and got it.
Both sisters rose above their beginnings to become strong and accomplished, but it was a reminder that sometimes we have to fight to do that. How sweet it is when we do.
Congratulations to the organizing committee, which included Lander, Margie Deane Gray, Drum and Gannon-Meiering. Shauna Agnew helped with the silent auction.
Thanks also to Alpine Bank, which has been a steady sponsor of this event and Women’s History overall.
HHH
Despite the fact that most of these folks are working while the rest of the world is on spring break, I hope they have a happy birthday – Lillian Boe, Randy Bondow, Gretchen Miller, Molly Murray, Evan Lynch, Gus Kidd, Jim Schoultz, Bethany Bieth, Robert Ludwig, Jane Pearson, Taylor Bray, Gisele Pansze and Cathy Roberts.
HHH
Even if you have health insurance, co-pays and expenses denied by the insurance carrier can really add up. But if you’re not insured, it’s likely you don’t take care of even the most important things because of the cost.
Enter the 9 Health Fair, which will take place from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at Escalante Middle School, 141 Baker Lane. It’s in its 36th year, in large part because of Karen Zink and her passion for affordable health care. Many Lions Club members have joined her along with about 250 other volunteers in keeping it running all these years.
Carmen Ritz at Mercy Regional Medical Center is instrumental in organizing the qualified screeners, and Charley Kier at Wells Fargo Bank takes on the daunting task of serving as coordinator of the 20-ring circus.
Cortez, Mancos, Bayfield, Ignacio and Silverton all have their own health fairs, but the Durango version is the most comprehensive.
Zink estimates that $250,000 worth of screenings are provided each year. In the past couple of years, 1,200 people have taken advantage of the low-cost blood tests or free screenings for everything from skin cancer to hand and foot function.
There is one big change this year. In the past, they have had a separate day for seniors, but that just proved too complicated this year. So there will be a special entrance and line for seniors at Escalante, but you have to show up Saturday.
The Durango/La Plata County Senior Center is working to provide transportation for seniors to the school. Contact Sheila Casey at 382-6442 to learn more.
Visit https://onlinereg.9healthfair.org to learn more about what will be available at the health fair and to preregister. It may not speed up your place in line to receive the screening, but it will definitely speed up your departure when you’re done.
My thanks to Susie Ammann for the heads up.
HHH
If you’ve never read Neighbors before, then you don’t know that yours truly is a big book lover. If you are a regular reader, you know it’s true in spades.
One of my favorite events every year is the Fort Lewis College Common Reading Experience, which is actually a number of events surrounding the selected book of the year, culminating with a talk by the author. (The book is given to all freshmen when they register. Other classes and those of us in the general public have to pick up our own copies, although Durango Public Library generally has several copies to lend.)
From 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, a new documentary, created by Elle and Paul Armstrong, will debut at the Animas City Theatre. It shows all the different aspects of the appearance of Sister Helen Prejean, the author of last year’s book, Dead Man Walking, in Durango last year. Prejean was tireless, speaking at St. Columba Catholic Church and Animas High School as well as numerous classes at FLC and the big presentation in Whalen Gym.
Tickets start at $20 – the program is a friend and fundraiser. The DVD runs about 30 minutes, and all of the local “cast” will be on hand for the red carpet.
The best part will be the big reveal: What book will we all be reading this year?
HHH
The daffodils are peeking up as these folks celebrate their anniversaries – Brandon and Sara Rolph and Jerry and Sara Davis.
HHH
neighbors@durangoherald.com
This story has been changed to reflect that the company founded by Gina Piccoli’s grandparents is Eagle Block.
