Left In Lowell

Lowell Women’s Week will come to an end tomorrow with the Breakfast Celebration that was rescheduled from last Monday due to a snow storm.

The week-long series of event, which included Lectures, films, museum tours, panel discussion, workshop, will culminate with the presentation of the Because of Her Award which “recognizes women who demonstrate a strong commitment to their community through their courage, generosity, compassion, and activism.”

This year three women will be honored:

Gladys Picanso is 90 yrs old and is recognized for her work with the Portugese community over the past 50 yrs. Picanso helped many immigrant families transition from Portugal to the US.

Sandra Creamer is a nurse at Saints Medical Center. About 13 years ago, she became involved in the Chernobyl Children’s Project. She standardized the treatment for approx. 50 children, that visit the US each year to treat the lasting effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear accident. Recently Sandra started the SPINDLE fund, which helps cancer patients at SMC w/ everything from Rx costs, co-pays, groceries and wigs, for those going through cancer treatments.

And our own Kristin Ross-Sitcawich. In addition to her witty comments on LiL, Kristin or K-R-S’s day job is as Program Director at a homeless shelter in Lowell. Everyday she sees to it that her clients, the needest in our society, get excellent quality of care, services while also holding clients accountable for their actions.

As we know she is a political advocate defending the environment and citizens’ rights. She is also a keep-the-canals-clean fanatic. She is on the Board of Canal CleanWaters and chaired their last fundraiser.

Her professional career has made acutely aware of the plight of the homeless. That is why Kristen served as Chairperson of the new Subcommittee to Save Winter Protocol for the LTLC Shelter so that the 30-40 street homeless do not freeze to death this winter. This is a natural extension of her role as chairperson of the Hunger/Homeless Commission. As if that is not enough to make one tired just to think about it, she is an active board member of both Lowell Community Health Center and the Wish Project Furniture Bank

Congratulations to the award recipients.