A year of women in business
by Joy JordanIn addition to fostering entrepreneurship and providing networking opportunities for women, the American Business Women’s Association of Cape Cod holds education as one of its guiding principles. In that vein, each year ABWA raises money for local scholarships for Cape and Islands women.
In its 14-year history, the Cape Cod chapter has awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships to local women. Last year, the ABWA raised more than $3,000 in scholarship money last year – and the goal this year is to raise $10,000.
“These women are from our community, and in most cases remain or return to the community to benefit us all,” said Paula Hersey, ABWA president.
Eligibility requirements for the scholarships include: women who are citizens of the United States, residents of Cape Cod and the Islands, and will be attending an accredited college, vocational school or technical school as at least a second semester level student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale.
In the past, ABWA’s scholarship fundraising efforts included live and silent auctions, flower bulb sales and raffles. This year, the organization has stepped out of the box to create a new type of fundraising tool.
They have produced a full-color calendar celebrating the diversity of businesswomen on Cape Cod, all photographed in natural Cape Cod settings. The images, shot by noted photojournalist and Cape Business photographer Julia Cumes, reflect not only the beauty of the Cape but also the depth and breadth of women in business.
The ABWA committee charged with this project determined that they wanted to include as many diverse occupations as possible. The industries represented include the arts, hospitality, publishing, retail, education, medicine, retail, technology, fishing and finance.
Cumes elected to shoot most of the images outdoors at either sunrise or sunset to fully maximize the splendor of the natural environment. Occupations represented range from a harpist and a land surveyor to a bridge operator and a technology specialist.
In their effort to find new sources of funding for their scholarship program, ABWA has created a template of the Cape’s business community, illustrating the variety of industries that contribute to the strength of the area, while at the same time supporting education and the development of women in business.
“Ask any member – the scholarship awards meeting is the highlight of ABWA’s year,” said Hersey.
The ABWA calendar will be unveiled at Cape Business Connect 2006 on November 17, 2006. Each month of the calendar will be sponsored by an ABWA member, and the back cover will include a business card directory of members. The calendar will retail for $22.95, and the proceeds will benefit the ABWA scholarship fund.
Originally published in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of Cape Business
Joy Jordan is managing editor of Cape Business magazine. She has worked in the technology and publishing industries and was chief copy editor for Cape Cod Community Newspapers. 
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