PHONE: (313) 593-5644
DATE: March 17, 2006
Mary Koch receives community award from UM-Dearborn's Commission for Women
DEARBORN---The Commission for Women at the University of Michigan-Dearborn
will present its 3rd annual Susan B. Anthony Community Award this month
to Mary A. Koch of the League of Women Voters of Dearborn-Dearborn Heights.
The annual award was created to recognize individuals in the community
who advance the cause of women's equality in southeastern Michigan.
For the past 28 years, the commission has presented the Susan B. Anthony
Award annually to a member of the campus community who has advanced women's
issues. Both the campus award and the Susan B. Anthony Community Award
will be presented at the group's annual award dinner on March 23.
"Mary's involvement in the community spans all ages," said
Chalina Hillson, financial specialist in UM-Dearborn's College of Arts,
Sciences, and Letters and chair of the commission's community award committee.
"Her dedication to improve the life of women and the underserved
throughout the Detroit metropolitan area has always been a presence in
her life. Mary believes that serving her sisterhood is best accomplished
through organization. She is a leader of the highest quality recognizing
that determination, a smile and a friendly hello, can open any door."
Born and raised in Detroit, Koch has volunteered her time to various
community organizations for 40 years, including the League of Women Voters,
which she joined in 1967. She served and chaired many committees and was
president for the Detroit chapter for two terms.
Koch, who earned her bachelor's degree at Wayne State University, has
been an advocate of education, dedicating her time to organizations such
as Parent Cooperative Preschools International, the Greater Detroit Cooperative
Nursery Council, and the Michigan Council of Cooperative Nursery Schools.
She is a founding member of Women In Need of Guidance and Skills (WINGS),
which provides technical assistance for women facing educational and economic
challenges. Koch also has been a supporter of UM-Dearborn's Women on the
Move outreach program, serving on its committee since 1999.
Koch also is vice president of Soroptimist International of Fairlane-Wayne
County West.
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