(Left to Right: Tami Larsen Borgen, Carolyn Fortier, Andrea Schue)

By Mani Souphom – R & J Broadcasting | June 10, 2025

WARROAD, MINN. – This last May, several women from the Roseau and Warroad Women of Today chapters were presented with awards from the Minnesota Women of Today. Andrea Schue of Roseau became a member of the Minnesota Women of Today Key Women’s Club, while Tami Larsen Borgen of Roseau, and Carolyn Fortier of Warroad, were both presented with a Presidential Medallion.

These women were instrumental in supporting the Roseau and Warroad Chapters, along with Greenbush, Lake of the Woods, and Red Lake Falls. KQ92 | KRWB was able to sit down with them and talk about their recent accolades.

We asked Fortier, Larsen Borgen, and Schue about their tenure with Minnesota Women of Today and what inspired them to join. All three women expressed common ground of looking for comradery, and a way to get involved with their communities. Schue, Larsen Borgen, and Fortier spoke respectively:

Schue further explained how Presidential Medallions were awarded, and the Key Women’s Club honor was designated. The process is nomination only, with Women of Today members recognizing those who go above and beyond in their chapters and on local projects; only 75 Presidential Medallions are given a year throughout the state’s 48 chapters, and only about 10% of nearly a thousand members ever receive the Key Women’s Club honor:

On her award, becoming a part of the prestigious Minnesota Women of Today’s Key Women’s Club, Schue expressed both surprise and gratitude. “I was so flabbergasted … it was not something I was aiming for.” The Women of Today organization brought in Schue’s family to help celebrate this special honor, and Fortier explained that some behind the scenes coordination had taken place to surprise Schue. “It took several people, and many little wheels and cogs … for it to all fall in place.”

Schue, Larsen Borgen, and Fortier, winning these highly esteemed awards from their chapters in Northwest Minnesota is an exciting event for rural communities. When asked about the greater impact these honors might have on the area, Schue stated, “I really hope it will incite people to show up and ask questions, or bring topics up that can be explored… we’re ready to run with it or support you in moving on with it too!”

Some projects that Women of Today have supported in the area include the Roseau Parade and Warroad’s Fourth of July Parade. Larsen Borgen said of the Roseau Parade, “It’s fun to see the excitement on everybody’s faces … I think that it will be something that is done for many years to come.”

Fortier stated that it was difficult to distinguish a favorite project, “Every event that we do is special to somebody.” Planting flowers at the Warroad Senior Living Center, Warroad’s Fourth of July Parade, and choosing an impactful woman from the area for the Light Up the Holidays event in Warroad, stood out amongst many others.

Schue shared that one of her favorite projects was a Minnesota Women of Today District initiative (which includes chapters from Lake of the Woods, Warroad, and Roseau), named “Girls Rock the Capital.” In this project, groups of teenage girls are taken to the state capital, where they experience our government at a state level and even meet state government officials. On the impact this project has, Schue said, “These young girls get to see that and kind of get the idea that ‘hey, I could do this too’ … I was really impressed by them.”

Larsen Borgen, Fortier, and Schue shared with us what they were working on next and looking forward to with Women of Today. Larsen Borgen took on a new role as the Community Connections State Program manager, Fortier has become the Living and Learning State Program Manager, and Schue is Membership Vice President of the State.

For more information on how you can learn about or get involved with your local area Women of Today, you can visit MNWT.org to find your chapter and contact the Minnesota Women of Today. For those in the Northwest Minnesota area, Tami Larsen Borgen, Carolyn Fortier, and Andrea Schue stated they are available and willing to assist directly with more questions.