AUBURN – The Maine Women’s Fund has formed a Lewiston/Auburn Council to support the women of the community. Participating are Tamara Grieshaber, curator of Gallery 5, Lisbon Street, Lewiston; Anne Lee, executive director of the YWCA; Adilah Muhammad-Aceto, community activist and small business owner; Alyson Stone, executive director of Empower Lewiston; Vivianne Holmes, board member of the Maine Women’s Fund; and two Maine Women’s Fund staff members, Elizabeth Stefanski and Brianna McCabe.

The first L/A event will be a “Money and Spirituality” panel discussion from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St.

The program will explore how women’s spiritual lives inform their understanding of financial wealth and the methods and means of creating the wealth in ways that honor their own personal beliefs. It is for women of all faiths and spiritualities.

The program format will be introductions, an opening exercise, a panel discussion of the topic with Margo Maller of Merrill Lynch and Donna Steckino of Community Credit Union, general discussion, closing remarks and thoughts for future events.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available. Anyone wishing to provide a potluck offering is encouraged to do so. To register, e-mail Brianna McCabe at [email protected] or call 774-5533.

The Maine Women’s Fund is a public foundation creating lasting social change by investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls. It invests in Maine nonprofits projects that are conceived and led by women and girls.

To date, the organization has given $1.4 million in grants to Maine nonprofits that help women and girls. The average grant is about $5,000 to $10,000, and is offered through two funding cycles.