Women & Family Life Center, Guilford Youth & Family Services, Guilford Social Services, Madison Youth & Family Services, Clinton Human Services and Branford Counseling & Community Services are pleased to announce that they will host the 2nd Annual Shoreline SHEros Awards virtually on Saturday, June 5, at 10 a.m.

The event, which was created last year, is a platform to recognize and share the stories of women and girls on the CT Shoreline who are making a difference in the lives of others. A SHEro is a woman or girl who inspires others through her actions, a person who leads with kindness, has a desire to help others and is someone who is making a positive change in herself or for others in a community.

"I am honored to be a part of this special and important event, particularly this year. I appreciate that the SHEro Awards is a collaborative effort among local service organizations to recognize the work of so many treasured women and girls in our communities. The past year has been challenging in ways we could never have imagined, and it is a joy to have a role in acknowledging a few of the people who really made a difference," said Liza Petra, returning emcee of the SHEro awards and Executive Director of both the Branford Community Foundation and The Guilford Foundation.

This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Katherine "Kiki" Kennedy, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Yale University Department of Psychiatry where she teaches psychotherapy and physician advocacy. Dr. Kennedy currently directs the Legislative Advocacy Program, co-leads the Advocacy Track for the Social Justice Health Equity Curriculum, and serves as the faculty mentor for the Yale Resident-Fellow Advocacy Council. She is also a Board-certified psychiatrist in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut with a practice focus on psychodynamic psychotherapy. Dr. Kennedy is also the Chair of Council on Advocacy and Government Relations for the American Psychiatric Association, serves on the Executive Committee for the Austen Riggs Center, and is a member of the Committee on Psychotherapy for the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. Dr. Kennedy has presented at national conferences and published on advocacy, psychotherapy and supervision, including co-editing her most recent book, "A Psychiatrist's Guide to Advocacy" published in April 2020. In 2017, Dr. Kennedy was awarded the Yale Department of Psychiatry's "Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award."

In addition to her professional work, Dr. Kennedy is a current trustee for Wesleyan University, Save the Sound, the CT Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. She and her husband, former State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr., have two adult children and reside in Branford, Connecticut.

Thirty-one women and girls, who have been nominated by members of the community, will be honored during the virtual event on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Following is a list of this year's SHEro honorees:  Branford residents Roberta Gill-Brooks, Judy Hall, Adaline (Addie) Graver, Jacqueline Halten Ford, Diane McNamara, Courtney Rosenberg; Clinton residents Bianca Arias, Carrie Allen, Hailey Baldwin, Erin Gaudet, Vanessa Horan, Francesca Tino, Jane Welch; Guilford residents Allison Alkire, Vicki Cohen, Kristin Jones, Mary Jo Kestner, Darka Lindgren, Barbara Kenny, Donna Mull, Marge O'Donnell, Jill Pagilino, Meghan Scanlon, Lorna Steele, Misty Streitweiser, Tammie Ulbrich, Janice Ward, Cathy Wilson Ramin; Madison residents Heather Noblin, Barbara Stahl and Wolcott resident Karen Mowad.

We invite the community to join us for this virtual event to learn how these women and girls have worked over the past year to make a difference in their community.

For more information visit www.womenandfamilylife.org/shero-awards. Honorees will be honored virtually on June 5 at 10 a.m.Please RSVP via email to info@womenandfamilylife.org. In the subject line of the email please note: SHEro Awards and include a contact name and an email address to confirm your attendance. A link and password will be emailed the day before the event.