CAMDEN — Founded 23 years ago on the belief that Maine women and girls have the power to effect positive change in the state, the Maine Women's Fund is strategically expanding its geographical presence to accomplish its goals.

More than 70 guests attended an open house hosted by the Fund on Sept. 19 in its new headquarters in the Knox Mill, on the deck overlooking the mill pond.

"We are organizing volunteers in seven regions of the state to give us a regionally‐specific picture of the needs of women and girls, not just the state as a whole," said Director Sarah Ruef-Lindquist. "Maine’s a big state, and each region has its own set of challenges for women and girls seeking to live, work, raise families and reach their full human potential. One of the reasons to have an office outside of Portland is not just that we are a statewide organization, but that we want to gain a regional perspective on the needs of women and girls."

Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties constitute the Fund’s Midcoast region and the organization will begin conducting a needs assessment with volunteer participation this fall and winter.

The Fund's mission is to create "lasting social change by investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls," according to its 2011 federal tax documents. It is a philanthropic organization that raises money and then distributes to other organizations and efforts around the state that align with its mission. Currently the Fund is focused on increasing economic security for women, according to a press release. 

Since its founding in 1989, the Fund has directed approximately $1.7 million to organizations, such as New Hope for Women, Waldo County; The Passages Program of the Community Schools at Opportunity Farm and Camden; Waldo County Preschool and Family Services (now Broadreach Family and Community; Coastal Studies for Girls, South Freeport; Women, Work & Community; The Rig, Camden; Hardy Girls Healthy Women, Waterville; Medomak Mobile Home Cooperative, Waldoboro; United Way of Great Portland; and the Maine Women's Policy Center, Hallowell.

Attorney Sarah Ruef-Lindquist took the helm at the Maine Women's Fund in April.  Following law school, she practiced law before becoming vice president for Southern Maine at the Maine Community Foundation. She also served as vice president and senior administrative trust officer at Union Trust Company in Ellsworth and Camden, until she founded Planning for Good and re-established her law practice. Ruef-Lindquist received her B.A. from Southern Methodist University and J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center, now the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Civil Leadership in Portland. She is a member of West Bay Rotary Club in Camden.