Marcia Bellinger, 2008 ATHENA Award Recipient

Marcia Bellinger, business owner, mentor of many, and volunteer extraordinaire was surprised to be the 2008 ATHENA recipient at the 14^th Annual Award Dinner. She received a standing ovation from the over 200 men and women in attendance at the Hagerty Center event sponsored by National City Bank and licensed by ATHENA International.

Bellinger is owner of the Belstone Gallery at 321 E. Front Street, an active member of the Traverse City Downtown Business Association, and a board member as well as a working volunteer of Women’s Resource Center included in her many contributions to the community.

It is the tradition of the ATHENA Grand Traverse Committee to have the prior year’s recipient make the introduction and announcement, which is a much guarded secret prior to the event.  Louise Hagerty, the 2007 ATHENA recipient’s description prior to the announcement describes Marcia Bellinger as:

“A CLARION reminder of how a life lived truthfully and with heartfelt dedication can RING with passion and creativity and beauty.  She is a reminder of the Japanese phrase that one must sometimes “embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.  She can be a bit of an enigma in that she has an incredibly rich internal life and yet expresses much of herself externally.

She always gives back. Perhaps the CLEAREST CHIME of her giving is her effort with the Women’s Resource Center.  The board members describe her as a “tireless worker with a can do attitude.” They also say that she doesn’t volunteer for any recognition or applause; she gives because “it is the right thing to do.”

She has literally brought beauty to our downtown. A great supporter of artistic causes such as the Old Town Playhouse, numerous art exhibitions and local artists, her zeal for the arts is said to be “boundless.”

Her mind is strong, her spirit is resonant, and her soul is giving. Her generosity is present. Her love and support of the arts is as CLEAR AS A BELL. She doesn’t just talk about the economic strength of our city, she lives it.

The ATHENA Sculpture is an original, signed and numbered bronze and marble a sculpture with a crystal globe inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment – qualities embodied in the ATHENA leadership model.  ATHENA recipients demonstrate excellence in their business or profession, Devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way; generously assist women in attaining their full leadership potential.  To learn more about ATHENA go to the website www.athenagrandtraverse.com.

The ATHENA Award program in the five county Grand Traverse Region is sponsored by National City Bank and licensed by ATHENA International. This will be the fourteenth year the award will be presented in the area. Any one in the five county region may be nominated for the award by completing the application and following the criteria established by ATHENA International.

The 2008 program theme is Breast Health Awareness.

Although this is not a fund raising event, the committee has partnered with the new 

 " and have pledged program proceeds to their capital campaign.

The Individual ATHENA Award recipient will be selected from the nominations received by the April 1^st deadline. All women and men from the five county Grand Traverse area are eligible to be nominated. Next year’s ATHENA Award will be presented on May 6, 2009 during dinner at the Hagerty Center. Tickets are available for sale on this website.

Criteria for the award selection is for someone who has attained and embodies the highest level of professional excellence in her/his business or profession, has devoted time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and actively assists women in realizing their leadership potential. Through this program, we hope to build awareness of and honor the valuable contributions being made by women and men in our business and professional community.

The perfect ATHENA nominee may be your neighbor, a co-worker, or your best friend or spouse. The eight leadership qualities that describe an ATHENA recipient are: authentic self, relationships, giving back, collaboration, courageous acts, fierce advocacy, learning and joy. Make that nomination today.

The Grand Traverse ATHENA award was first presented in1995 at a small luncheon. Now in our 14th year, the program has grown into a grand dinner event at the Hagerty Center with a nationally known speaker to be announced in the near future. The Grand Traverse program is sponsored by National City Bank and licensed by Athena International.

The ATHENA Award was first presented in 1982 and is administered by ATHENA International, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ATHENA is an international non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, developing and honoring women leaders, inspiring women to achieve their full potential—creating balance in leadership worldwide. There are over 300 active award programs and more than 5000 awards have been presented to ATHENA Recipients in the United States and around the world.