CJAM is delighted and honored to have been awarded the Toby Strout Lifetime Contribution Award as a token of appreciation for the diligence exhibited by our women mediators and volunteers over the past year. Along with other inspirational women in Bloomington, the women of CJAM were recognized at the Women’s History Month Luncheon on March 20, 2019 for their continuation of the progress made by woman throughout history!
CJAM has thirty women mediators and another twenty-two women volunteers who have devoted time, passion, and focus towards halting patterns of wrongdoings in the Bloomington area. CJAM women have stood up to the challenges involved in mediation, taken leadership positions, and upheld a high degree of patience and empathy. These characteristics are synonymous to those once held by activist, Toby Strout. One of Strout’s contributions to the betterment of our community was her 30-year long role as the executive director of Middle Way House, an organization that provides supportive and empowering services for survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking.
During the luncheon, the Woman of the Year award was also presented to Mary Goetz for her attentiveness towards the effects of incarceration on children and the community. Goetz founded the Kids with Absent Parents and Read-to-Me programs which provide support for children of incarcerated persons. Beyond heading these programs, Goetz is an active member of other organizations focused on providing support to current inmates and easing the difficulties faced by ex-offenders upon release.
Congratulations to Mary Goetz and the Women of CJAM!