City honors local female leaders

Bloomington’s Commission on the Status of Women has announced three awards for local women leaders.

The commission named Christine Glaser as Bloomington’s Woman of the Year, posthumously gave Anne Reese the Lifetime Contribution Award and gave Melissa Britton the Emerging Leader Award.

Glaser and Reese will be honored at the Women’s History Month Lunch on Wednesday at the Bloomington Convention Center. Britton will receive her award at the Women’s Leadership Development workshops on March 30.

“It’s important for us as a community to recognize the work these women do,” said Sue Owens, program specialist in the Community and Family Resources Department.
“We like to recognize women’s exceptional contribution.”

The Commission on the Status of Women started in 1973 to “enhance the quality of the individual’s life in community,” Owens said. “They wanted to promote gender equality in different areas. They wanted to make sure women got equal benefits as men.”

This year’s theme, set by the National Women’s History Project, is “Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet.”

A founder of the Center for Sustainable Living in Bloomington, Glaser has been involved in an abundance of green projects, including the Community Bike Project and the Simply Living Fair. She is a coordinator with Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, works for GreenFire Consulting Group and is an active member of Earth Care, an interfaith group concerned with environmental practices in churches.

“Christine really exemplifies what women should be acknowledged for,” said selection committee member Jillian Kinzie. “Her work has a long-term benefit. All of our futures are dependent on it.”

“I am guided by the principle of nonviolence, which is love – pure and simple,” Glaser said in an e-mail. “I strive for nonviolence, for an expansion of love, in my thoughts and actions ... I am motivated by a vision of a better world ... If you are outraged about something, it is probably because you love and you care. Act on that love. Don’t be silent. Seeds for peace can be planted here. No need to wait.”

Reese worked at the IU Health Center, joined various women’s organizations and was a health educator on issues of family life, sexual health and AIDS awareness.

“She left a legacy,” Kinzie said. “She really was an expert in reaching out to young girls and did a good job creating materials and training. Her program ended up being a model.”

Britton, recipient of the Emerging Leader Award, works for the city of Bloomington as the Latino Outreach Coordinator.

“I enjoy bringing groups together for a common goal and creating sustainable programs,” Britton said in an e-mail.

She works particularly with low-income families, women and new community members to make them feel welcome in Bloomington and access the resources they need.

“She’s someone who is really concerned about how new community members make it and are successful towards our communities,” Kinzie said. “She’s really an outstanding young woman and has done an incredible amount in a short time.”