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Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe left the Senate in 2013 after her third six-year term and a lengthy political career, but she hasn’t slipped into seclusion. Instead, Snowe is focusing on raising aspirations and confidence in future generations of Maine women.

Snowe, orphaned at age 9 and widowed at 26, knows from her observations and experiences what the studies show: that between elementary and high school, girls’ self-esteem drops, on average, 3.5 times more than boys’.

“Everywhere I go, I hear these same concerns about girls lacking the confidence to be what they have the ability to be. So I decided to do something about it and founded the Institute,” Snowe said. “By assisting more young women to be grounded in their values, find their voice and create a network of support, we will help them on a path to fulfill their potential.”

The month of June has been one of celebration for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute. Not only did we mark the successful completion of the program’s first year, My Values, but also gathered with, and thanked, our donors—both the Institute’s Individual and Corporate Founders. Their early and significant support allowed us to realize Senator Snowe’s vision of an organization that builds the confidence and elevates the aspirations of young women in Maine.

At each stewardship event we were proud to share the gains made by Olympia’s Leaders over the past 10 months.

The Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute is incredibly grateful to the amazing women who volunteer as Olympia’s Leaders’ Advisors, or OLAs, to guide the cohorts of participants at each school. Since October 2015 OLAs have played a significant role in the more than 800 hours in which Olympia’s Leaders connected with positive, women role models. One such volunteer is Susan Stacey, Assistant Vice President, and Treasury Services Officer at Androscoggin Bank. Recently Susan was awarded the 2016 HR Volunteer Leader of the Year by the Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Thank you, Susan, for your commitment to the Institute and the other organizations that benefit from your time and talents. Congratulations!

With the start of the 2016/17 school year the Institute will have cohorts of Olympia’s Leaders in each county in Maine. Our plans for growth are on pace with our strategic plan – with an additional school in each country slated to join the program for the 2017/18 school year. Hear about the successes of our inaugural year in this short video.

On Thursday, May 12, the Olympia’s Leaders, Olympia’s Leaders Advisors (OLAs), and members of the Corporate Leaders Network gathered to commemorate the completion of the “My Values” program and to celebrate the success of the Institute’s inaugural year. As Senator Snowe said in her remarks, it was a trifecta of strong women in the room!

The Olympia’s Leaders heard from Senator Snowe, reflected on the program with their OLAs, and networked with female executives representing some of the state’s top organizations. While interacting with women leaders, in particular, was slightly outside of their comfort zones, Olympia’s Leaders put their newfound skills and increased confidence to use and embraced the time with these role models. The girls also received commemorative bracelets in honor of completing their first year.

The Institute was excited to announce to the attendees that all of the schools, Olympia’s Leaders, and OLAs have enthusiastically committed to continuing with the Institute in the fall.