Since my early twenties I have held an interest in making the lives of vulnerable children better. As the former Director of Mainely Girls for five years, it was time to step aside and let someone else do the work. We have found an astutely qualified Director to create and lead programs, while our Board becomes the force behind our mission. In these difficult times, we are re-grouping, re-framing and reaching out in new ways to provide the connection, care, and creative spark that is so needed for girls to THRIVE! Please, there is always room for you at the table; donate, join, mentor, assist, fundraise, learn, and co-create! We welcome your interest in Mainely Girls!

I joined Mainely Girls in July 2015 and attended our first Board Retreat with a fabulous, creative, brilliant group of women. There, we revised our bylaws and developed a strong plan to support girls in Aroostook County. What an exciting and energizing 5 years it’s been! I look forward to working with our Board to design and build programs and events to support the many health, wellness, and creative needs of teenage girls in Aroostook. Come join us!

Erin Benson is the Program Coordinator for Workforce Development and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) at the Aroostook County Action Program. She began at ACAP in December 2017 working with a grant to train women for direct employment or an apprenticeship in non-traditional occupations. Previously, she worked at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for 24 years and was in radio prior to that. She is a past member of Kiwanis, was president of Presque Isle Youth Hockey and Music Boosters, and has served on several community boards. She is the mother of two adult children. In looking back, I know what a critical role several people played in helping me develop confidence, professionalism, and my voice so that a strong and powerful woman grew from the impressionable, young girl. Joining the Mainely Girls board is a way to give other girls the same growth experience I had.

As a social worker and a mother I feel strongly about empowering young women. Having raised a daughter, I know first hand the perils of young womanhood. I just recently joined Mainely Girls to give back to the young women in our community. Girls need encouragement now more than ever! I look forward to helping our girls succeed and excel in all aspects of their lives.

Throughout my entire career, I have continually woven the threads of Empowerment, Resilience, Transformation and Healing into a beautiful diverse tapestry of Connection. Growing up in Houlton, I understand the challenges and benefits of living in rural Northern Maine.  In my youth, I learned to return to center and find my inner compass by adventuring into nature and dancing until my heart was content and feet firmly rooted in the rich soil of Aroostook County.  Now, after living out west in Portland, Oregon for almost 16 years, I have returned to my homeland and am excited to share what I have learned with our next generation of leaders. For now, more than ever, our Girls….our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, neighbors and friends, need to move beyond surviving to thriving, so they can reshape our future! Please join us in this mission to empower our County girls to Thrive!