Ardis Mahone-Mosley to receive Susan B. Anthony — Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award

Ardis Mahone-Mosley will receive the Susan B. Anthony — Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award at an event set for Friday, March 24 at UW-Parkside’s DeSimone Arena, 4130 Petrifying Springs Road.

Mahone-Mosley is the parent/teacher liaison at Lincoln Middle School and a community activist, volunteer and mentor. She and her family established the Mary Lou and Arthur Mahone Fund in 1999, which provides educational opportunities for economically and academically deserving youth, and healthy lifestyle initiatives in communities of color.

In addition to Mahone-Mosley, Women of Influence Awards will be presented to:

• Jean Moran, founder of Building Our Future, in the category of Business/Government/Nonprofit;
• Deborah Ford, UW-Parkside Chancellor, in the category of Arts/Education; and
• Brandi Cummings, head of Community Programs & Partnerships for the Kenosha Public Library, in the category of Woman to Watch (for women under 40).

The money raised at the event will be awarded to local nonprofit organizations serving girls and/or women and their families in Kenosha County as well as scholarships for nontraditional-aged female students.

Heather Krome has been selected as the 2023 scholarship winner. She is pursuing a degree in Social Work from Aurora University.

The nonprofit organizations selected to receive funds in 2023 are:

• Hospice Alliance of Kenosha for its Connections Program;
• Shalom Center for Shelter Bus Tokens;
• Society’s Assets for its Transitioning to a Stable Home Program;
• United Way of Kenosha County for its VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program; and
• Women & Children’s Horizons. Inc. for Shelter Playspace Upgrades.

Mahone-Mosley has dedicated her life to motivating and uplifting Kenosha’s youth through her many volunteer roles, according to her nomination. Among her many contributions, Mahone-Mosley founded and leads the “Dream Girls” afterschool program at Lincoln Middle School for female student mentorships on everything from academics to the challenges of everyday life. She is also a founding leader of the soon-to-open Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy, which is expected to serve as a place of learning, training and skill-building for youth and young adults in Kenosha. Her mother, Mary Lou Mahone, was posthumously honored with the Susan B. Anthony – Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

“The depth and breadth of Ardis’s devotion and passion to the Kenosha community and to making a difference in future generations is inspiring,” said Amanda Blommel, chair of the Susan B. Anthony – Women of Influence Awards Committee.

Mahone-Mosley was nominated for this award by the 2022 Susan B. Anthony – Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Terri Wruck, who has been friends with Mahone-Mosley since both were students at Washington Junior High School.

“Ardis is one of the most incredible, hardworking and compassionate people that I have had the pleasure of knowing,” Wruck said in her nomination. “She has shown me and many other women how to be better people and how to make a difference. Through her actions, she has made an immeasurable contribution to our community youth and families.”

Previous Susan B. Anthony – Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award winners include: Saundra Yelton-Stanley; Camille Thibaudeau-Meyers; Anne Bergo; Barbara Kluka, JD; Frieda Schurch; Jennifer Fostel, PhD; Rosanna Ranieri, MD; Eunice Boyer, PhD; Katherine Marks; Terry Potente; Kay Wikel; Beverly Jambois, JD; Joan Wilk, PhD; Joyce Erickson; Natalie Troha; Adelene Greene; Florence Hammelev; Kathy Barth; Jane Harrington-Heide; Patricia Johnson; Debra Hertzberg; Roseann Shales; Guida Brown; Earlene Jornt Girman; Michelle Serpe; Connie Ferwerda; Joanne Rattan; Honorable Mary Wagner; Ellen Brookhouse;  Betsy Brown; Gina Madrigrano Friebus; Mary Lou Mahone (posthumous); and Terry Wruck.

The Kenosha Women’s Network, AAUW-Kenosha (WI) Branch and Tempo Kenosha are three women’s organizations in Kenosha that collaborate to make the Susan B. Anthony – Women of Influence Awards possible. Sponsors include the Kenosha Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund, Gateway Technical College, and the Southeast Wisconsin Labor Times.

Event sponsorship packages are: Elizabeth Cady Stanton Level, $2,500; Alice Paul Level, $1,750; Ida B. Wells Level, $1,000; and Olympia Brown Level, $500.

Reservations to attend the event, which often sells out, are now available at Eventbrite.com by searching “Susan B. Anthony Awards Dinner.” The reservation deadline is March 16. Early bird pricing, received no later than Feb. 24, is $60 each, or a table of eight for $455. After Feb. 24, tickets will be $65 each, or a table of eight for $505. For more information about tickets or sponsorships, contact Wendy Gauss at susanbdinner@gmail.com.

People and businesses are also encouraged to support the event by advertising in the dinner program. For more information about advertising, please also contact Gauss.