Blue Water Woman

03/12/2026

Oh what a night! Last night at the 14th Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards, six amazing women received the recognition they have all long deserved. I'm so very proud of Allison Arnold of the St. Clair County Library System; Lisa Beedon of Blue Water Developmental Housing and SCC Board of Commissioners; Jazmyn Thomas of the City of Port Huron; Amy Smith of SCC Community Mental Health; Laura Burrell of SONS Outreach; and Emily Goudy of Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer. They. Are. Amazing. They all gave inspirational speeches and motivated the next generation of women. At the end of the program, 30 current and past award recipients gathered on the stage in a show of the incredible HerStory of our community. That is always my favorite part of the evening. :) (P.S. -- Many thanks to my husband, Dale Hemmila, for running around and taking photos all evening. I so appreciate you.)

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03/09/2026

Do you have your tickets yet? Do you know what you're wearing? The Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards Ceremony will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. this Wednesday, March 11 at the McMorran Place Sports & Entertainment Center. All the cool people will be there celebrating six of the best women in our community. Please join us for an inspirational evening celebrating women.
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1982027209739?aff=oddtdtcreator

02/10/2026

It is my great honor to present to you the six women from our community who will be recognized at the 14th annual Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards Ceremony which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at the McMorran Place Theatre. Tickets are now available for this incredibly inspiring evening that celebrates the brightest and best in our community and can be purchased here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1982027209739?aff=oddtdtcreator

This year's honorees are as follows:

Blue Water Woman of the Year:
Allison Arnold
Library Director
St. Clair County Library System

Blue Water Woman Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year:
Lisa Beedon
Executive Director
Blue Water Developmental Housing, Inc.

Blue Water Woman Municipal Executive of the Year:
Jazmyn Thomas
Deputy Planning Director
City of Port Huron

Blue Water Woman Community Services Leader of the Year
Amy Smith
Assistant Division Director
St. Clair County Community Mental Health

Blue Water Woman Youth Advocate of the Year
Laura Burrell
Youth Advocate
SONS Outreach

Blue Water Woman Nonprofit Executive of the Year
Emily Goudy
Founder
Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer

01/22/2026

Five down, one to go! Today's final stop was at SONS Outreach where we presented Laura Burrell -- also known as Mama B -- with the Blue Water Woman Volunteer of the Year Award! Laura has served as a beacon of light and love to literally thousands of young people in the community over the past 30 years as she worked alongside her husband, Tyrone, operating SONS. She never, ever seeks the spotlight and that is why she is all the more deserving of special recognition. We are so excited about honoring Laura from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 at the McMorran Place Theatre at the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards. Congratulations, Laura!

01/22/2026

The first stop today on our Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards Tour was at Blue Water Developmental Housing, Inc., where we presented BWDH Executive Director Lisa Beedon with the Blue Water Woman Executive Director of the Year Award! Not only does Lisa do an exceptionally good job at serving as ED at BWDH, but she serves our community in many other ways, not the least of which is as an elected official on the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners. Lisa also volunteers her time for numerous other organizations and good causes. She is truly the epitome of a dedicated community servant. We are so excited about honoring Lisa from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 at the McMorran Place Theatre at the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards. Congratulations, Lisa!

01/21/2026

Our final stop of the day on the Blue Water Woman of the Year Award Notification Tour was at the City of Port Huron Municipal Office Center where we visited the Planning Department and notified Deputy Planning Director Jazmyn Thomas that she has been named Blue Water Woman Municipal Executive of the Year! Jazmyn has been a rising star at the MOC and she works hard for the citizens of Port Huron, helping residents with a multitude of issues, including helping some of the most vulnerable in our community receive grants to help them purchase a first home or make needed repairs to their homes, among many other projects. We are so excited about honoring Jazmyn from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 at the McMorran Place Theatre at the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards. Congratulations, Jazmyn!

01/21/2026

Next stop on the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards Notification Tour today was at the St. Clair County Library Main Branch where we notified Library Director Allison Arnold that she has been named THE Blue Water Woman of the Year! Allison has been a library staff member for more than 20 years and under her direction as director, she has guided the library system through numerous millages and many other significant updates and changes. We are so excited about honoring Allison from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 at the McMorran Place Theatre at the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards. Congratulations, Allison!