Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation Inc. honors through the arts the life of Shawna, who died at 16. They raised $10,000.00 in one day. And the legacy had begun.

The Shawna Foundation is named after Shawna Shea, a 16-year-old Uxbridge High School student who was killed in a car accident in 1999. In 2001, her twin sister Erin Shea and her friends organized a 5K walk to raise money for a scholarship for graduating Uxbridge High School students with average grades. Our Mission
We believe the arts and education are essential to creating a vibrant, healthy comm

unity and world. The mission of the Shawna Foundation is to equitably promote and supports students through scholarship and showcase artists in filmmaking, performance arts, poetry and other creative endeavors with a focus on underrepresented communities. We continue awarding two scholarships in Uxbridge since 2001 annually, and now in Southbridge. The Shawna Foundation is also in its 11th year of hosting arts events from Somerville to Southbridge to Sturbridge to Worcester with the Shawna Shea Film Festival (SSFF) and the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival (MassIFF). These two ever-expanding independent film festivals are each four-day festivals that screen more than 100 independent films at each festival from around the world. Over the years, many visiting filmmakers from the region, from across the country and from as far away as Ireland and Italy have attended these much anticipated festivals. SSFF and MassIFF are two of our major programs. Another of our major programs directly supporting artists is the Women in Film Fellowship Program, established in 2015. The Fellowship awards a financial stipend to first-time female filmmakers along with a mentorship from members of the film community, helping to produce nine short films. This is an annual award and the list of women we have helped launch on their filmmaking journey continues to expand and grow. Here is a brief video of why this program is so important: https://vimeo.com/user124208055/fellowshippromo

The Shawna Foundation also awards an annual unrestricted Micro-Grant for artists of all categories. It’s basically jumpstart funding. In 2023, we established and host the Library Poetry Tour in Uxbridge and Milford for five months of the year (free to the public). This program caught the attention of local and state cultural councils and is funded in part by the Uxbridge Cultural Council, the Milford Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. In 2022, the Shawna Foundation established the monthly UnderGround Wednesday screening of cult movies in Southbridge (also free to the public) which grows is popularity because of the unique nature of underground and cult cinema. The screenings are followed by a talk and Q&A session with Skip Shea and film aficionado Patrick Bracken, the grandson of film star Eddie Bracken (“Miracle at Morgan’s Creek” to name some of his credits). Two more public arts programs are in the planning stages: a free to the public monthly documentary film series called “Doc Talk;” and a one-day fringe theater festival.

The Shawna E Shea Memorial Foundation, inc is happy to announce we have started a publishing wing, Shivering Mouse Publi...
11/26/2025

The Shawna E Shea Memorial Foundation, inc is happy to announce we have started a publishing wing, Shivering Mouse Publications. Our first publication is now available the Shivering Mouse Art & Poetry Review: Volume One.��

Volume One is a vibrant collection of contemporary poetry from the Shawna Shea Foundation’s Library Poetry Tour, showcasing powerful voices exploring identity, memory, resilience, and the artistry of everyday life containing poems by Shawna Shea, Skip Shea, Anna Chinappi, Art Dubois, Joe Fusco, Katie Elizabeth, Catherine Marenghi, Robin Ballou Boucher, Ryk McKintyre, John Edward Keough, Kathleen Stoker, Lea Deschenes, Kris Salvi, Nanayaa Dadzie, Michelle Garcia Fresco, Tony Brown and Victor Infante.��

"As the Shawna Foundation grows and evolves with our programs we thought this would be the next big step for us. We’ve had incredible poets read for us, often to a very small audience. We really felt it was important to find another way to get their work out there. So most of the poets who were involved in that program are represented in the book.” said Executive Director Skip Shea.
�
The name Shivering Mouse Publications is based on a poem Shawna once wrote. A haiku called A Cold Mouse.��

A small little mouse
Walking along the sidewalk
Shivering so much

“We hope you will pick up a copy, all proceeds go directly to the foundation. It would make a perfect Christmas gift and help support the foundation at the same time.”��

You can purchase a copy here on Amazon:

Shivering Mouse Art & Poetry Review is an anthology published Shivering Mouse Publications, a wing of the Shawna E Shea Memorial Foundation Inc. Volume One is a vibrant collection of contemporary poetry from the Shawna Shea Foundation’s Library Poetry Tour, showcasing powerful voices exploring i.....

Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. Fundraiser Update. Mostly because of direct donations to the PayPal giving Fund...
08/14/2025

Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. Fundraiser Update. Mostly because of direct donations to the PayPal giving Fund we are now 1/3 of the way to our goal.

But the Facebook Fundraiser Page has stalled at under $500 since we've started. Which means I may need to reassess how we do this. And our place.

It is one of those weird things that if everyone who was connected with me here gave $10 we would be well over our goal.

As I stated in the video we have given our $46, 500 in scholarships and $18, 500 in Women in Film Fellowships.
That's $65000 given to students and first time female filmmakers. All because of your donations.

Please do what you can and give today so we can continue our work in the areas of education and the arts. Which need as much of our support now more than ever.

You can give directly to our Facebook campaign or to the
PayPal Giving Fund
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1392300

Only $48 to hit $3000! Who will it be to push us over that threshold!
08/14/2025

Only $48 to hit $3000! Who will it be to push us over that threshold!

August 13th Shawna Foundation Fundraiser Update.https://vimeo.com/1109848806Please donate through the PayPal Giving Fund...
08/14/2025

August 13th Shawna Foundation Fundraiser Update.

https://vimeo.com/1109848806

Please donate through the PayPal Giving Fund. Remember it is tax deductable.
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1392300

Or via the Facebook Fundraiser Campaign.
https://www.facebook.com/donate/761650686459549/1067919602164009/

Please donate through the PayPal Giving Fund. Remember it is tax deductable. https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1392300 Or via the Facebook Fundraiser Campaign. https://www.facebook.com/donate/761650686459549/1067919602164009/ …

Good morning! The numbers this morning are dramatically different than reflected on the Facebook Fundraiser page. More p...
08/13/2025

Good morning! The numbers this morning are dramatically different than reflected on the Facebook Fundraiser page. More people donated directly to the PayPal Giving fund and this morning we have $2459 of donations in that account. So with the Facebook campaign we have raised in one day $2783 dollars!

THANK YOU ALL!

All we need is $217 to hit the $3000 mark! Please donate today either here on FaceBook or on the PayPal Giving Fund!

Help me spread the word about Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc.. Together we can make a difference.

08/12/2025

Hello all my FB friends! It's that time of year when our Shawna Foundation nonprofit asks you to help us keep going with your contributions and support. We need you. We love you. And we thank you.

Send a message to learn more

Big Congratulations to Victor Infante!We are beyond proud to share that Victor Infante, a longtime champion of the writt...
08/04/2025

Big Congratulations to Victor Infante!

We are beyond proud to share that Victor Infante, a longtime champion of the written word and one of the featured poets in the Shawna Foundation’s Library Poetry Tour, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Stanley Kunitz Award by the Worcester County Poetry Association.

Victor is a vital force in Worcester’s literary scene and has been for many years—through his work as a poet, editor, and journalist—and this award is a well-deserved recognition of his impact, talent, and dedication to the craft.

Victor joined us in the early days of our Library Poetry Tour, in which we bring poetry readings to libraries in Milford, Uxbridge and Douglas. Victor’s appearance was very special to us–he is a faithful supporter of the Shawna Foundation and all we do, and we are grateful to have had his voice elevate our Library Poetry Tour.

Congratulations, Victor—and thank you for continuing to share your voice and lift others through your words.

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Uxbridge, MA
01569

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