For the past 20 years, AWARE has honored many of Juneau\u2019s unsung heroes during its annual Women of Distinction Banquet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people all the time in our town who are doing fabulous work that most of us or many of us have no idea about. We see people, and they\u2019re just going about their business and little do we know the depth and breadth of what they\u2019re contributing,\u201d AWARE Executive Director Saralyn Tabachnick said.<\/p>\n
AWARE honored Marie Darlin, Justine Muench, Missouri Smyth and Kristi West on Saturday at Centennial Hall, with more than 400 people in attendance. The banquet is also a major fundraiser for AWARE, which stands for Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies.<\/p>\n
Tabachnick said the banquet allows AWARE to shed light on the work these women do for the community, work that is often behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is taken for granted that women do certain things in their lives, in the lives of their families and in the lives of their communities, but the connections and the hope that women bring to all that they do and the openheartedness that comes forth is a gift and a donation to all of our community,\u201d Tabachnick said.<\/p>\n
Tabachnick said the four honorees this year have all lived in Juneau for decades.<\/p>\n
With a passion for education, Darlin has led a life of service. She\u2019s contributed to the lives of children and is now a strong voice for the senior community. A long-time member of the Alaska Historical Society, Darlin was inducted into the Alaska Women\u2019s Hall of Fame in March 2015.<\/p>\n
Muench has been involved with women\u2019s and children\u2019s issues for decades. With an education in nursing, she created a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program at Bartlett Regional Hospital, and KidSafe, a national childhood injury prevention program. She volunteers with AWARE\u2019s Girls on the Run program.<\/p>\n
Smyth has used music to improve the lives of the people around her. She\u2019s a lifelong musician and music teacher at Floyd Dryden Middle School. For the past 18 years, she\u2019s been the artistic director and accompanist of the Alaska Youth Choir and has volunteered for several local music organizations and events.<\/p>\n
West started out as a sports coach and moved up to Recreation Manager for Juneau\u2019s Parks and Recreation department before finding her dream job \u2014 manager at the city\u2019s Zach Gordon Youth Center. West lost her son, Nels, in 2013 and said that the kids at the youth center were instrumental in helping her through that difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very joyful group of women,\u201d Tabachnick said. \u201cWhatever hardships they\u2019ve had in their lives, they\u2019ve moved through with grace and beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AWARE Board of Directors selected Darlin, Muench, Smyth and West from a pool of about 20 nominees. Nominations are held for two years.<\/p>\n
Tabachnick said so many women in Juneau are already women of distinction.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow your heart, do what brings you joy, share that with other people and then I think you\u2019re a woman of distinction whether you get an award from AWARE or not,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
You can become a member of AWARE by making a donation. AWARE\u2019s services are free and confidential. Its crisis line, 586-1090, is open 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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