the equipoise fund board
Mickey, Jean and Lee.
Mickey Babcock, Director, Founder and President
As I write, I am in the loft of my cabin in Buffalo Valley, Wyoming. Outside of my window is the verdant mountainside, and to the south the valley floor is ripe with the Buffalo Fork River. My wonderful stepchildren, Jenny and Brian, are playing with the four large brown dogs that race through the grasses. Life is full and rich, and I am grateful.
“Of whom much is given, much is expected.”
How do we capture the moments of our lives in a few structured words? How do we know, when we serve as a philanthropists, that we have “made a difference”? For me, finding that space—in which all possibility lies—is the answer. It is in that place—that “equipoise”—where the grace of the universe shows up.
I have had times in my life where I could not find that space. And I have been blessed with moments so full, tears of joy would not stop flowing.
I use a simple guide for my life in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“. . . to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” If there’s more you want to know about me, use Google.
Find your own equipoise, then tell me about it.
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Lee S. Duncan, Director and Secretary
So, why would a Southern girl like me be involved with an initiative that benefits women in Wyoming? Well, it has to do with the power of the close friendship that Mickey Babcock and I share. We have many things in common. It's a long list, but it includes our love of animals—especially dogs—hiking, design, fathers who were named "Conrad,” and an interest in women's issues.
After vacationing in Wyoming for many years, Mickey opted to move out West, and Wyoming felt like the perfect home to her. Being a supporter of women's issues, Mickey decided to form The Equipoise Fund as a way of providing a resource for women who were looking for the support and knowledge needed to help realize their potential.
She invited her close friend Jean Kirk, a fellow Memphian, and me to be a part of the genesis of this idea, to benefit the women and girls of Wyoming.
What a great privilege it has been to get to know some of the extraordinary women of Wyoming! It’s an honor as well to be a small part of an organization that works with such an amazing group of strong women and focused organizations on such a varied slate of issues.
Meanwhile, my life "down South" is a wonderfully busy existence! Born, raised and educated in Memphis, I have been married for 20-plus years to my husband, Joe, who is an attorney specializing in Wills and Estates. Joe has a son, Andy, who lives just outside Chicago, Illinois, along with his wife Norine and their 18-month-old son, Logan. This July, we will welcome a baby brother for Logan. I love being a grandmother to that little boy, and can't wait to shower more love on his brother.
The four-legged members of our family are our 12-year-old “King Charles mutt,” Bingo, and her sister Lily, a four-year-old wheat-colored Scottish Terrier. They have the run of the house I'm embarrassed to say.
When not traveling to Chicago, or to the North Carolina mountains to hike, I tutor pre-k and 1st-grade public school children, working on various committees at my church, Calvary Episcopal, or heading out to improve my golf game. As I have said many times, you can ask me my age or my weight, just don't ask my golf handicap! I'm determined to improve this year, to the point where I at least won't be embarrassed to answer that question, part of seeking out the limits of my own potential.
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Jean L. Martin Kirk, Director and Chief Guru
I love the blending process. It can be fruits into a smoothie or a blues musician accompanied by the symphony. It's a known fact, good things happen when the right combinations are brought together.
Raised in the surrounding area of Memphis, Tennessee, I have had the privilege of knowing strong women, some born here, some not. Their strengths have molded and positively influenced a multitude of folks. I graduated from Memphis State University with a degree in early childhood education, and the 70's became a memorable decade of teaching (and learning) in the classroom (all done in platform shoes, mini skirts and long hair) and then teaching (and learning) as a stay-at-home mom with the birth of my older son. Community service in the 80's and 90's presented me the opportunity to work closely with women whose efforts made life better. I identify closely with Mississippi's Eudora Welty, an author and artist of photography; I love her quote, "I am a writer who came from a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within." Thanks to Mickey Babcock, and her willingness to make a difference, then and now, I am a small part of the Equipoise Fund and its mission to give a butt-boost to the women of Wyoming.
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