Fort Kent – Each year Fort Kent Business and Professional Women’s Local searches through the community to find women who personifies the ideals of BPW and who have contributed Fort Kent BPW traditionally has celebrated its “Woman of the Year” ceremony in May, along with the “Member of the Year” award.
Contributed photo
Burnette Bowker, Fort Kent BPW member and chairperson recently presented the Woman of the Year award to Kathy Roy of Fort Kent.
However, CHANGE is a part of what BPW is about on the local, state and national level. This year, the presentation of the 2009 recipient of the “Woman of the Year” award was part of National Business Women’s Week celebration that is celebrated during the month of October.
The woman chosen by Fort Kent BPW to receive the award this year is Kathy Roy of Fort Kent.
Roy currently is a manager, co-owner of six stores, a director of the partnership representing the Roger Paradis family and president of the partnership of Paradis Shop N’ Save Supermarkets.
Roy symbolizes the unique workingwomen of our time. She began her career as a young 20-year-old office worker. Thirty years later Kathy has worked up the ladder of success.
Burnette Bowker, Fort Kent BPW member and chairperson, presented the award to Roy at special ceremony that was held at the Fort Kent Golf Club on Oct, 11. Many family and friends attended the ceremony honoring Roy.
“Kathy leads by example as we have seen her straighten items on the shelves, greet the customers with a smile, offer help to find an item, and sometimes chit-chat and then off she goes to the office to “crunch” some more numbers. Roy learned from her father, uncles, cousins, and now other younger Paradis generation, high school and college students working at Shop N’ Save are learning from Kathy and her staff and cousins about responsibilities, work ethics, and loyalty, ” noted Bowker.
Roy finds time to volunteer and extends her talents and interests to the community at large, in education, finance, health and sports. She currently is a member of the board of visitors at the University of Maine at Fort Kent; director of the Acadia Federal Credit Union; Northern Maine Medical Center board of trustees; a long-time member and avid golfer, winner of many tournaments; Fort Kent Golf Club secretary and director and a soccer mom.
Bowker expressed her amazement in the amount of contributions Kathy authorizes as manager to community events, organizations and fundraisers for the following: Maine Winter Sports Center; Can-Am Sled Dog Races, United Way, Project Graduation, Fort Kent Rotary and the Fort Kent Senior Citizens.
Roy is married to Bert Royand the couple have two children, Jason and Katelyn. Her name will be submitted for contention in the State BPW “Woman of the Year” competition. The winner of the state BPW award will be presented at its state convention to be held in June 2009.
Fort Kent BPW can proudly say that, as a local organization, it has celebrated and acknowledged twenty-two individuals. These women were educators, entrepreneurs, author, nurses, secretaries, media personnel, administrators, social workers, homemakers and BPW advocates about women’s issues such as pay equity, domestic violence, and health care.
