For Women’s History Month, we asked the Growing Bolder Community to tell us about a woman who has had a positive impact on their lives. Here are just a few of those inspiring, uplifting responses. My Mom. She taught me the value of faith, family, independence, strong work ethic, long friendships, laughter… and the love to cook!Christie Habig Dunham My mother-in-law Charlie who treated me like a daughter. She always said ‘It’s darkest before the dawn.’ I used to question this as some old West Virginia homily but the older I get the more I realize it’s true.Patty Thompson My resilient, brilliant, mama. She is responsible for my extensive vocabulary, my thick thighs, and for being my rock. She has been gone for 15 years and I still find her in the details. A classmate in high school took me, a new transfer student from out of state, under her wing and into her family. She was the mayor’s daughter and I worked waitressing at the bus station after school. Largely because of her, I earned a full scholarship to a wonderful old women’s college, and that changed my whole life. We remained friends for sixty years until she recently died.Mary McAvenia Potter Helen Keller. The most amazing human being. Without seeing, hearing or speaking, she lectured, wrote books, and, with the help of another inspiring woman who taught her touch, was magical.Janis Erdfarb My older sister Cynthia. After my first husband died, she moved in with me to help me raise my children. When our mother died in 1991, she became the glue that kept us all together. She was my best friend and the most selfless person I have ever known. I was with her daily the last two months of her life and I hate that I couldn’t save her like she did me. I miss her every day.Linda Ponton The great nurses I have worked with over the years.Amy Carr Curren Bobbie Buxton came into the IHOP restaurant where I was working when I was in high school. She offered me a job at the San Francisco Airport and this changed my life. I can never repay her for setting me on the wild ride of life which I am still on My two beautiful daughters! They’ve helped me see the world with new eyes. I’ve learned to understand and grow because of them. I’m a better person!Terry Beard Pimental
Your Take: Women who Made a Positive Impact
InRelated Stories 12 of 68
Related Stories 12 of 68

Feeding Your Creative Spirit
Spirit
Anything that keeps us curious keeps us young. Whenever we arrange things in a way that strikes us as beautiful or interesting, we are being creative. Making space for creativity keeps our minds active and better able to consider possibilities and combinations that make life interesting!

The Guardians of Peace: Gaming for Good
Tech
Meet Debbie Petry, a 64-year-old who is combing the powers of technology and meditation to make a difference in the world.

Nevertheless, She Persisted
Arts
As a medical doctor, photographer, mother, world traveler and FAA Certified Drone Pilot, Claire Johnson has many impressive attributes. Intelligence. Persistence. Determination. But her greatest characteristic might be this: staying open to the possibilities.

Milestone Birthdays | He Said, She Said
Spirit
How do you celebrate milestone birthdays? Do you celebrate with a big bang? Do you mourn entering a new decade? Marc Middleton, Tracy Gold and the What’s Next gang discuss how they mark those big occasions.

Get in the Game! Top 5 Social Video Games to Bring People of All Ages Together
Arts
Gaming isn’t an activity only meant for kids and young adults. There are great options of social video games that are easy to play at any age, and offer great opportunities to form intergenerational relationships.

Celebrating Women’s History Month
Spirit
Since 1987 in the United States the month of March has been observed as Women’s History Month. At Growing Bolder we’re fortunate to cross paths with women who have lived extraordinary lives.

How Barry Kerzin Combines Science and Spirituality as a Physician and Buddhist Monk
Mindfulness
Barry Kerzin is a physician and an ordained Buddhist monk. He says the pressure in our society to choose between science and spirituality is dangerous and divisive. He believes that they can not only coexist but that they must for our own physical and mental wellbeing.

Colleen Gonzalez: Help Yourself By Helping Others
Philanthropy
When Colleen Gonzales found her childrens’ school programs were lacking, she got to work and found her own fulfillment along the way.

A Look Back at Christmas Movie Past with Lou Sabini
Spirit
Did you know there were Christmas movies long before the Hallmark Channel? Discover some of the best from days gone by with film historian Lou Sabini.

Your Take: Your Favorite Halloween Costume!
Spirit
We asked the Growing Bolder community to share their favorite Halloween costume memories. Some folks even shared photos!

Your Take: Describe a Reunion that was Meaningful to You
Spirit
We asked the Growing Bolder community to share reunions that had an impact on them.

Grandparent’s Guide to Understanding Teen Slang Words
Spirit
Slang words have been around forever, and each generation creates its own jargon. Here’s a guide to help grandparents decode their grandchildren’s “slanguage.”