Club News
SI KACHINAS IN THE NEWS
PRESS RELEASE: November 16, 2011
|
|||||
 Imagine being a pregnant teenager expelled from your home with nowhere to turn. Alice Wells, president-elect for the Soroptimist International, spoke about the plight of such girls living in Sierra Leone to a group of women at the Soroptimist International of Prescott Tea and Fashion Show Sunday at Jazzy's Wine Bar. The Soroptimists, with more than 90,000 members in 125 countries, have raised money to help educate girls in that West African country, pledging $2 million over four years. Through the auspices of the group, those young women learn skills for work in such trades as tie-dying fabrics, childcare and cosmetology, said Wells, who recently returned from a trip to Sierra Leone. "Our whole mission is making the world a better place for women and girls," Wells said. In the U.S. the group supports programs to pay for mammograms and encourage breast cancer awareness. Earlier this year the Prescott club, which has 27 members, gave a divorced mother who is raising four children and studying at Yavapai College a $750 Women's Opportunity Award. The group also gives awards to teenage girls for their volunteer efforts. Other programs the club supports include Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Reach for the Stars/Reach High, a self-esteem program for pre-teen girls, and the Prescott Area Women's Shelter. Another effort, Sunflowers for Seniors, brightens the lives of senior citizens in the Prescott area. The thrift store, Tattered Treasures, serves as the main source of money for the group. Wells, of Phoenix, joined the Soroptimists in 1980. The head of the AZ ASCD, a non-profit organization for educators, Wells said the Soroptimists are "one organization I would never quit." "I've learned more about leadership there than in any post-graduate class," Wells said. Soroptimists around the world are also sounding the alarm about trafficking of girls and women into the sex trade, a $32 billion illegal industry. The group recently gave a presentation to city attorneys in Phoenix about "what's happening in our own backyard," Wells said. She described how predatory traffickers lure young, vulnerable girls from places like shopping malls. "The sexual predators can spot the vulnerable girls," Wells said. "They're pros. It takes an average of 90 minutes until they have them out on the street prostituting themselves." With municipal budget cuts, most cities have reduced their vice squads, she said. "Until we start prosecuting the men who buy their services, it's going to continue," Wells said. "In Arizona we need to do more." From: Prescott Daily Courier |
October 28, 2010
Soroptimists host fundraiser to fight human traffickingSoroptimist International of the Kachinas of Glendale is hosting a Bunco fundraiser Nov. 5 at Landscape Mart, 8028 W. Thunderbird Road. The event theme is "Free the Girls: Fight Human Trafficking," in partnership with an international nonprofit group of the same name.
The event begins at 6 p.m. with a buffet style lasagna dinner. Bunco play will start promptly at 6:30 p.m. and will go for six rounds, with a break after the third round. During the break, guests are invited to enjoy a variety of desserts as well as shop the merchandise area of Landscape Mart. Tickets to the event are $25 per person.
SI of the Kachinas is encouraging attendees to bring a few new or gently used bras to the event to help fight human sexual trafficking. Each bra donated is worth one entry into a raffle for a $50 Victoria's Secret gift card to be given away that night.
"By donating a bra, you help free the girls, and provide a promise of hope to the victims," SIK President Virginia Corder said.
Donated bras will be sent to a non profit organization cleverly named Free the Girls (www.freethegirls.com) in reference to its goal of collecting bras to help free female slaves in Africa.
The mission of Free the Girls LLC, based out of Centennial, Colo., is to help rescue victims of human trafficking, to provide these former slaves with rehabilitation and jobs, and to put their captors behind bars. The organization gathers and ships new and gently used bras to safe houses in Mozambique, Africa. The safe houses provide shelter for girls and women who have been rescued from slavery. The women are given jobs laundering and selling the donated bras as a means of supporting themselves and the rehabilitation programs.
While a used bra may not seem like much to women living in Europe and North America, according to Free the Girls, owning even one bra is a luxury in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Because a bra is a status symbol and a mark of sophistication, most women in these areas would love to own just one. As part of the program, each woman in the safe house is permitted to choose bras to keep as their own.
Soroptimist International is a service organization for business and professional women whose goal is to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. SI of the Kachinas is just one of 3,000 Soroptimist clubs in 124 countries. There are 90,000 Soroptimist members worldwide. According to Corder, the organization and the 90,000 women worldwide who belong to Soroptimist are passionate about ending the human sexual trafficking of women and girls.
"I meet people every day who think human trafficking is not a problem in this country. They couldn't be more wrong," Corder said. "It is not just a problem in third world countries, but can be found right here in the Valley of the Sun. There is not a local community that has not been touched by the scourge of trafficking."
In addition to supporting the global work of organizations like Free the Girls, SI of the Kachinas also supports local efforts to end human sexual trafficking, including Natalie's House, a new safe house scheduled to open in the West Valley later this year. Natalie's House will provide treatment and rehabilitation to girls ages 11 to 17 who have been rescued from commercial sexual exploitation (i.e. forced prostitution). Several club members are available to speak to local civic, parent, and school organizations about the types of behavior and activities that put teenage girls at risk for sexual exploitation and trafficking.
For more information about the Soroptimist organization and the Free the Girls Bunco event Nov. 5, visit sikachinas.org, or call Chris Maxwell at 602-547-9494.
From: The Peoria Times
September 2, 2010
The Tulip Tree continues rose giveaway to honor 9/11
Glendale florist Judy Haenel will repeat her annual tradition of giving away approximately 4,000 roses to the public. This will be the 15th Pass It On Day, which is now a tribute to the men and women of 9/11/2001.
The rose giveaway starts at 7 a.m. Sept. 11 at The Tulip Tree, 5933 W. Bell Road.
The yearly give away is sponsored entirely by Haenel and The Tulip Tree to give members of the community a way to remember and reach out to each other. Roses are given out in dozens to any adult 18 or older who requests them, as long as supplies last. The recipients are asked to keep one rose for themselves, and distribute the other 11 to friends, relatives, neighbors, or strangers. The event is now held always Sept. 11 as a way to commemorate the events at the World Trade Center in 2001 and to help unify the community at large.
The roses are prepared by a committee of volunteers, who begin work a couple days before the giveaway. This year's tentative preparation dates are Sept. 9 and 10. Roses are stripped of their thorns, placed in water tubes, and wrapped in plastic in bundles of 12.
Sept. 11, volunteers will greet the people who line up to receive roses to give away. A number of charity and community organizations have been invited to participate.
From: The Glendale Star
Judy Haenel is a long-time member of SI Kachinas, local business woman, and a charitable leader in the Glendale community.August 2, 2010
Glendale Kachinas received Governor’s Flying High Recognition Award
Soroptimist International is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. Almost 95,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls.
The name, Soroptimist, means "Best for Women," and that's what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best.???The work of each chapter is a global voice for women. Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of members and international partnerships.
This past year, SI Kachinas (Glendale) received the distinguished Soroptimist Governor’s Flying High Recognition Award at the annual Golden West Region’s Spring Conference held in Palm Springs. This Award recognized the Kachina’s campaign to Stop the Trafficking. The Kachina members designed a presentation on the problem of sexual trafficking among teens in Phoenix and launched an educational campaign on the issues and concerns within the community. Their mission was twofold: to raise public awareness of trafficking within the local community and among policy makers, and to provide community members, parents and teens with critical facts on these issues coupled with tips, guidelines and strategies to enhance personal safety. Kachinas provided 14 community presentations throughout the year and reached over 500 people. The program has been so successful that this year, Kachinas will again offer the program on trafficking and expand the presentation repertoire to include a separate program on teen sexting.
For more information on these programs, you can contact Dr. Virginia Corder at vcorder@q.com
May 2010
Anne Rita Monahan Recognized as a Woman of Courage
In addition to a $500.00 donation, the Soroptimist International of the Kachinas Club in Glendale, Arizona honored Anne Rita Monahan, posthumously, with the Renie Branham Woman of Courage Award on May 18, 2010.
This annual award pays tribute to a woman who is, or has been, an active member of our community, and:
- demonstrated remarkable acts of courage when confronted with adversity - either personal or in connection with others;
- served as a role model to her family, friends, co-workers or community-at-large by her selfless fortitude in striving to overcome the challenges thrust upon her;
- made a difference in the lives of others, especially women and girls, by her steadfast commitment to all facets of her regular daily routine while continuing to battle obstacles and difficulties; and,
- acted as a beacon of light to those who experienced the privilege of being touched, inspired and/or enriched by this valiant Woman of Courage.
"Something happens to us when we witness someone's courage. They may not know we're watching but something happens to us that will last a lifetime. It fills us when we're empty and rocks us when we're low; it gives us hope and strength to begin anew." - Renie Branham Woman of Courage Award Inscription
From The Anne Rita Monhan FoundationMarch 2010
From The International Soroptimist
August 2009
SI Kachina member Janet Olson chosen by Hon Kachina Council for 2009 award for volunteerism!!