2023 SHEro Spotlight Lori Namur

Our next Green Dot SHEro, Lori Namur, served as executive director of our Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund when the idea of Green Dot Bystander Intervention Training was first proposed. Lori’s ability to bring people together was crucial in the process of getting our agency to step into a role where we offered hands-on training rather than just educational workshops and grantmaking.

She also served on the Green Dot Steering Committee and facilitated several of the earliest training sessions. Without Lori, Green Dot would not be part of our Women’s Fund programming today. In her own words, here is “why” Lori found Green Dot so worthwhile:

“My bystander involvement was inspired by the amazing Board of Directors and community volunteers I was working with when I was executive director of the Women’s Fund several years ago. The Women’s Fund was expanding on the work we were doing, with a focus on preventing violence against women and children, and having important conversations about making a greater impact and helping create a safer community.

“These conversations resonated with me on a personal level. For me, it started with one key thing: my two children growing up in a safe community. Taking the time to listen and create a safe space for them, ensuring they had a sense of belonging and safety.

“My husband and I often talk with our children about the little things we can do daily, like making good choices, being there for each other as family, standing up for ourselves and for our friends, and helping others when they need us. It only takes one person to make a positive difference in someone’s life!

“Each one of us plays a role in helping our community – connecting with people and supporting one another.

“Through a collaboration with the Women’s Funds in Northeast Wisconsin, and Fond du Lac community agencies, our Women’s Fund had data showing that violence against women and children was a significant issue. We wanted to dig a bit deeper and gain more insight from leaders right here in our community. We held interviews and community conversations with stakeholders from various agencies and organizations, to understand more about the greatest issues they were seeing in our community. They were receptive to having these sincere and candid conversations with us.

“The information they shared with us supported the local statistics and proved that we needed to do something more, and they were dedicated to supporting us in these efforts. It was time to invest our resources, time and energy into a program where we could immerse ourselves in learning… and be part of the change.

“After researching various programs, Green Dot was selected because the model targets all community members as potential bystanders and engages them through awareness, education and hands-on practice. It educates and empowers members to create a community where violence is not tolerated and the critical importance of everyone playing a role. The result being a reduction of violence in the community.

“The Green Dot program was brought to life in Fond du Lac with over 40 fabulous community members joining in for the week-long intensive training! The program was able to get off the ground due to the incredible support of the Women’s Fund Board members, community volunteers, my Green Dot partner Erin Flood and the Lacey Sadoff Foundation for the extremely generous donation that funded the program.

“It was powerful to see how members of the Fond du Lac community came together, shared their stories, collaborated and had the same common goal – to be active bystanders and to make our community a safer place to live in.

“Working with the Fond du Lac Green Dot team was such a rewarding experience. It showed that remarkable things happen when a community comes together to create positive change!”

Want to be part of that positive change? Join us for our Power of the Purse Luncheon to celebrate Green Dot and the local people who have brought it this far. Ticket sales end next week: www.hometowntickets.com/purse