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Lakeshore Road Na vy S t Na vy S t Th om as S t Th om a HAS MOVED! 905.469.4877 for an appointment Our move wouldnt be the same without you! 131 Lakeshore Road East Great Stocking Stuffer ideas Tons of Holiday Hair Accessories & Gifts OAKVILLE Same Great Service now in the Heart of Downtown Oakville Choose from either $3 off your service or a FREE pack of Silly Bands! 3 w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , D ec em be r 3 , 2 01 0 2 8 Green keeps a positive outlook to do building relationships with others, giving back, being fierce when the weak need my advocacy, celebrating all that I can be and constantly learning from those I come in contact with. Leading and mentoring women is what ATHENA is all about. This is not just my award, but rather it also belongs to all the mentors, mostly women, that I have been fortunate to meet at every organization Ive been involved in, said Green. Originally from Montreal, Green, her two sisters and a brother grew up there amid a large extended family against the backdrop of an Italian heritage. My mom had nine sisters and two brothers, said Green. It was in Montreal that Green moved into the human resources field in the financial industry. She remained work- ing there until she transferred to Ontario, first settling in Mississaugas Lorne Park community and then River Oaks. In the mid to late 1980s, Green, like everyone else, was feeling the pressures of downsizing and layoffs of the time and, in the human resources field, said she was putting together exit packages and conducting the interviews that terminated employees many of whom were her friends. Things were starting to bother me, she said. Some of the people were friends of 20 years or more and Green found she was far from doing what she loved to do. Reflecting on that, and finding sol- ace in her longstanding passion for cooking, Green wrapped up her finan- cial field career and opened her own business Lorraines Pantry. The first couple of years were intense; however, the business built a good reputation and developed a clien- tele and began to flourish. My husband Rod was, and still is, my greatest supporter in anything I ever attempt to do, said Green, reflecting on the support her family provided. Nor does she discount the support of the local community for a business it embraced. Green picked up the Award for Business Excellence from the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and her busi- ness was selected as among the cream of the crop by the Beavers own awards for a dozen years in a row. Three years ago, Green sold her business and began doing cooking classes for children. Today she is involved with the Kids Culinary Community with Julia Hanna of Ristorante Julia and Ritorno Restaurant in support of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Halton. Green sits on Hannas board of directors. Since retiring from her busi- ness, Green has become involved in oomama, the local grandmothers to grandmothers group that supports grandmothers in Africa whose chil- dren have been lost to HIV/AIDS and who are now raising their grandchil- dren through grassroots projects funded by the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Green recalls hearing Lewis speak at Appleby College in May 2007. When I looked at my grandchil- dren and what they have compared to the orphans in Africa who are being looked after by their grandmothers, I had to do something, said Green. Today, she is very involved. Green co-chairs oomamas Speakers Education Centre, is involved with its steering and mem- bership committee and is a constant advocate. She points to the importance of Canada meeting its commitment under Canadian Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), which was passed by all federal parties in 2006, but which has not resulted in generic HIV/AIDS medications being made readily avail- able in Africa. Now, oomama is supporting private members Bill C393, which amends CAMR to reduce the attached red tape in implementing the initiative. If the law is amended, generic drugs will get to Africa, said Green. Canada is not living up to its prom- ises, said Green, noting, Our world is shrinking and we all should be acting as a global society. Green said she fails to see why peo- ple cant be ethical and give back to the community and still have a healthy bottom line. When you look around, there are many professionals who do that, said Green. Another major issue for oomama is the education of children, particularly girls. Green said 75 million children in the world do not have primary school education two-thirds of them are girls. Were not trying to give a hand out, but a hand up, said Green, noting education is key. I love building relations with people and helping in any way I can...I have met some truly amazing women who have taught me so much along the way. Im quite opti- mistic, most of the time and while I do get discouraged, especially when faced with government opposition, I usually feel a sense of hope, said Green. Its also important to surround oneself with positive people, said Green, noting negativity is draining. We accomplish so much more when we work together for a common goal, said Green. Continued from page 21 Ive seen some of the women who have gone before me and its quite, quite humbling to even imagine yourself in that sort of ATHENA company. Lorraine Green, 2010 Athena Oakville award winner