Thank You

danke…merci…grazie…arigato….gracias…tack

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail”. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Women of the World has embarked upon a journey of
purpose and passion in 2010. We have combined hundreds of
admirable, influential women and supportive men in a myriad
of events and relevant topics. We have formed relationships
with like-minded organizations, built confidence and support,
and emphasized the importance of speaking in a unified voice
to raise awareness of the need to prevent violence against
women.

Where do we go in 2011? We go the way suggested by
Emerson, “…Go instead where there is no path and leave a
trail.” We will continue to advocate for the rights of women,
and this always begins at the grass roots level. We must
inspire each other to identify and promote a new generation of
socially responsible women. Never let adversity break you. It is
a learning experience that will make you stronger in the future.

I am so grateful for your support locally and globally. The
call to action is now. You have enhanced the vision of what is
possible and support Women of the World as an organization
that is based on purpose and passion and champions the truth
that safe, healthy, educated women influence prosperity.

Always inspired,

Donna Gutman

Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center

A place where survivors of sexual assault and abuse can heal and mobilize the community toward action to end sexual violence.

In August 1981, the Advisory Board and Coordinating Council of Lake County Health Department formed a Rape Victim Advocacy Task Force to study the need for rape victim advocacy services in Lake County. Original Task Force members represented agencies, both public and private, which were involved or potentially interested in providing services to rape victims. The Task Force began meeting in January 1982 and concluded its needs assessment one year later. Their findings documented that current services to rape victims in Lake County were inadequate and fragmented.

Joe Howard, Director of Development, has taken programs to a higher level, encouraging & advocating for programs that educate men.

10 Things Men Can Do To Prevent Gender Violence

· Approach gender violence as a MEN'S issue involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.

· If a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is abusing his female partner -- or is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general -- don't look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don't know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor. DON'T REMAIN SILENT.

· Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don't be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.

· If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.

· If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.

· Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-based women's centers. Attend "Take Back the Night" rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centers and battered women's shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.

· Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (e.g. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do speak out).

· Attend programs; take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.

· Don't fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.

· Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don't involve degrading or abusing girls and women. Volunteer to work with gender violence prevention programs, including anti-sexist men's programs. Lead by example.

Zacharias Center's services are free and are available to all survivors regardless of race, gender, language, ability, sexual orientation, or religion.

Zacharias Center seeks to be an active presence in the community to speak up in support of and in partnership with all survivors of sexual violence. Zacharias Center provides services to the community at large and to other professionals and service providers to enhance the understanding of the impact of sexual violence on everyone.

Zacharias's constantly growing services presently include: 24-hour hotline; 24-hour medical and legal advocacy; individual and group counseling for survivors and their loved ones; training of professionals who work with victims (i.e., police, emergency room personnel, court services staff); children's counseling program; Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program in both Spanish and English throughout the Lake County School System; and community education which includes sexual assault awareness, risk reduction, and information on incest. They have expanded their service and outreach to the Spanish-speaking community with bicultural and bilingual staff members in the Community Education, Advocacy, and Clinical programs. Today, 16 full-time and 2 part-time employees along with 75-150 active volunteers staff Zacharias Center.

Remember, sexual assault hurts everyone, not just the victim.

http://www.zcenter.org/donations.htm

24-Hour assistance support line: 847-872-7799.

Between Friends

Building a Community Without Domestic Violence

Between Friends is a nonprofit agency dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence and building a community free of abuse.

In 1986, Between Friends was founded by volunteers from the National Council of Jewish Women and the North Shore Junior League of Evanston as a small grantmaking body dedicated to raising funds for local domestic violence programs. The clear disparity between the growing numbers of domestic violence victims needing help and the limited programs available to assist them prompted Friends to expand its effort in 1991 to include direct crisis intervention services for individuals and families.

Today, Between Friends' comprehensive programs and services include a toll-free Crisis Line (800-603-HELP), counseling for victims and their children, court advocacy, and prevention and education efforts, including healthcare education and our extensive teen dating violence prevention program, REACH (Relationship Education: A Choice for Hope). Each year, we work with thousands of individuals through these programs, all offered free of charge. Friends' offices are located in Rogers Park, on Chicago's north side.

Between Friends provides a safe, violence-free, supportive, self-help environment for women and children in crisis. Between Friends' counselors support women in making their own decisions and choices, rather than making choices for them. Between Friends helps victims and children to recognize that their experience is shared and that the problem of domestic violence is social and political.

Know that abuse is a crime.

· Physical Abuse is any forceful or violent physical behavior.

· Sexual Abuse is any non-consenting sexual act or behavior.

· Verbal or Emotional Abuse includes hurting another person's feeling by saying cruel, unfair comments or by name-calling.

· Psychological Abuse is a threat to do bodily harm to a partner, child, family member, friends, pets or one's self (suicide). Psychological abuse involves hurt, anger, fear and degradation. Psychological abuse can render you emotionally insecure about your own self worth and can make you helpless to escape further physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse.

· Economic Abuse includes controlling an intimate partner’s access to money through behaviors such as preventing a partner from going to work or causing a woman to lose her job.

If you feel that you or someone you know may be in an abusive relationship, read more about the signs of abuse.

Click here to learn about the programs and services we provide.

Mariska Hargitay and Olivia Benson

The birth of the Joyful Heart Foundation

“When I started playing Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit a decade ago, my eyes were opened to the silenced epidemics of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse in this country. It wasn't just in the scripts for the show, but in the many emails I received from viewers disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time.


I felt a great responsibility to these brave men and women and wanted them to know that they had been heard and that they could have hope. I studied the subject, trained to become a crisis counselor, and used my visibility as an actress to become an advocate. The result was the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing support and encouragement for survivors.

When people are abused and assaulted, it is like the doors to their souls slam shut. The goal of Joyful Heart is to let the light, and the life, back in--to banish the darkness and let the healing begin."

- Mariska Hargitay, President and Founder, Joyful Heart Foundation

The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Joyful Heart is not a crisis center and does not provide emergency services including: crisis intervention, counseling, housing, legal or financial assistance. We are able, however, to connect you to information and resources where these services are available. We encourage you to take the next step and contact the appropriate resource.

A closing thought from Mariska:

“It is my wish that you live the healthiest, most fulfilled lives you can, in full acknowledgement and awareness of the demands of your calling. May you find ways, in the midst of your mission to serve and protect others, to do the same for yourselves.”

With admiration and gratitude,

www.joyfulheartfoundation.org

Me and Ro supports The Joyful Heart Foundation through a customized piece of jewelry reflecting the beliefs and ideals of Robin Renzi, founder and CEO. Her art is inspired by human need to adorn and communicate through jewelry. She created the FEARLESSNESS pendant, which serves as a reminder that embracing fearlessness inspires one to approach life with an open heart and to be strong in the face of adversity. 100% of the proceeds from this pendant go directly to The Joyful Heart Foundation.

Saving Children with UNICEF

Help Raise $2 Million by December 31^st

On January 12^th, the worst earthquake in 200 years struck Haiti, which changed the lives of hundreds of children forever. The United Fund for UNICEF continues to save kids with numerous acts of donations.

“She never did tell me her name or her age. She just told me that when the earthquake struck her home in Haiti, she thought it was God teaching her to fly. In fact, her world had been shattered, and her family was gone.”- UNICEF

The facts:

• 22,000 kids who died every day from a preventable cause
• Every 6 seconds, a child died from malnutrition
• Every day, 400 children died from measles
• 
  

UNICEF is dedicated to changing these statistics because this largest humanitarian organization believes the number of children who died every day from a preventable cause should be ZERO. How is this accomplished?

Education – In the aftermath of war or natural disaster, children often feel safest in a classroom. UNICEF developed the School-in-a-Box kit so that a classroom could be set up anywhere to restore a sense of normalcy and help break the cycle of poverty.

Emergency relief – Children are often separated from their families in the chaos after a disaster. UNICEF sets up child protection centers to provide these kids with a safe environment, clean water, shelter and help in finding their lost loved ones.

Safe drinking water – When children are thirsty, it doesn't matter if a river is clouded and polluted, they'll drink from it. UNICEF's simple solutions like clean water tablets make it safe for children to drink when they are thirsty – anywhere, anytime.

Every day of every year, UNICEF uses these proven, low-cost methods to save kids in need. Due to UNICEF’s efforts, the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8 million in 2010.

There is no reason why a child should die from a cause that has long been solved in the developed world.

No other organization has saved more children's lives than UNICEF.

Philanthropy comes in all sizes: donate now to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Every donation is 100% tax-deductible. Your 100% tax-deductible gift will support the best child survival and protection team on the planet:

www.UNICEF.org

The Story of Valentina

“So when life hands you a lemon, you can either toss it aside and wait for an apple or you can take life as it has come to you and make a glass of lemonade to share with others through the positive light and influences that you emit” -Jill Eisnaugle

An estimated 40,000 people with HIV live in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Valentina, an HIV-positive resident, was only 34 years old when she realized that she needed help. With the help of MAMA+, a Russian non-governmental organization Doctors to Children with the support of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, Valencia was able to overcome her struggle.

She was a soon to be mother who had contracted HIV a few years earlier from her late drug-abusing husband. Valentina suffered from financial issues, depression and was concerned for the life of her unborn child. With the efforts of MAMA+, which strives to provide medical and social services to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, her life improved. When her daughter was born, she was pleased to learn that the baby had not contracted HIV.

Soon after, Valentina experienced yet, another obstacle. After giving birth, Valentina’s new partner became very violent. “The worst thing was that our little daughter was constantly exposed to danger, living between two fires,” she recalls.

She turned to MAMA+ once again for assistance, and was soon able to move to the programs Halfway House for Women with Children in Difficult Life Situations. This helped her regain control of her life. “With psychological support from MAMA+, I could become emotionally more stable. My daughter became much quieter and more sociable," she says.

Valentina began building a new future for herself and her daughter. She is a courageous women who, today, lives on her own with her daughter and works as an assistant nurse at a hospice for people living with HIV. In addition, she counsels other HIV-positive women and makes home visits to HIV-affected families to offer advice and material support.

Since 1996, The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has supported critically needed programmes and services in 124 countries. It relies exclusively on voluntary contributions, but the demand for funds outstrips supply by far. In 2009 alone, the Fund received $857 million in funding requests, but could offer only $20.5 million in grants. Make the UN Trust Fund your cause this holiday season.

Source: http://www.saynotoviolence.org/around-world/news/mama-helping-hiv-positive-women-rebuild-their-lives

Saving the Life of a Woman & Child.

How you can personally save the life of a woman and her children after domestic violence

A common theme in domestic violence is that the man takes control of all of the finances. Therefore, most women leave with no financial assets whatsoever- often with the clothing they could pack and whatever they can fit into one car. Since 1 in 5 women in the U.S. are victims of domestic violence, and it cuts across all lines equally- education, economic, race, religion, culture- many women and their children have no skills or resources to deal with sudden abject poverty. In addition, please understand that living for one day or ten years being demeaned, controlled, watching your children battered…leaves a woman in an emotional state afterwards that is just like coming out of a warzone.

With all that said, here are 7 concrete ways you, your company, friends, and community can make a true, lasting, and immediate impact to save the lives of women and children from domestic violence.

Sponsor One Family

When we came out of hiding, we were left with essentials I could fit into our van- mostly clothing that didn’t fit the kids for long, a crockpot for cooking in motel rooms, vital documents for the children, and barely any leg space on the floor. We had lost every single thing I had ever owned, created, or even photographed. When we got into a house, neighbors “lent” us a folding table and a couple of foam mattresses and sheets, a few pots and plates. First I thought we could get back our stored items, and then when I realized everything was lost, I didn’t want to tell the community that we had nothing.

The pre-school noticed that the youngest two didn’t have much in clothing, backpacks, etc. A teacher came by with pizza to “visit” and kindly walked around for a tour of the house (I later realized she was looking to see what we had.) With our permission, and without our names, the preschool printed on the front page of their newsletter a list of items needed for a local family, thinking of everything from naming pieces of furniture, to listing school supplies, giving the sizes of the family for used clothing, kitchenware by item, etc. A director at the National Institute for Health was sent a copy by a friend and, on her own, passed on the list to her friends and co-workers.

In one week- the week between Christmas and New Year’s of 2008- trucks and men to carry items appeared daily. Within that week we had sofas, mattresses, kitchen supplies, chairs, clothing for everyone, toiletries, and even toys for the kids. Almost none of it was new, and that didn’t matter whatsoever- we had a home.

Though there are many organizations to whom you may donate used furniture or clothing, it is impossible for a single mother coming out of abuse to even transport the items, let alone go from place to place trying to get free items. Having a home is essential for the family to be able to get back on their feet.

Mentor a Woman for One Year

While every woman after abuse should enter therapy, that does not help with the overwhelming amount of logistics that come into play trying to re-establish the family, simultaneously with court cases, empty pantries, new schools, and real fear. I graduated top of my class in university, and ran several successful businesses, and I still couldn’t manage all of the details. If you would give a 1-3 hours a week to one woman to help her sort through all of the minutia and practical challenges that happen in the first year out, that hand up could be her way to a new life. If you could even oversee help for her, and have assistants or others help with the details- it would literally change her and her children’s lives. If you are looking for a family ask the local shelter, court agency that helps women, police department, social service agency or local organization that help women of domestic violence- they can confidentially approach their best recommendation for a woman in the most need and most likely to use the support to recover- and if she agrees, then connect you personally.

Mentor a Child

The lists for Big/Brothers/Sisters are horribly long, and there is no priority, just a long, long wait list. It’s the same for other mentor organizations- too many kids, too few adults. Children coming from abuse, especially if they are separated from their family and friends and only have their mother, are in desperate need of personal attention, fun to help them be kids and forget the past and the difficult present, and positive role models. Men are especially needed for young boys who may have never known a man who doesn’t hit women or children. The only way to break the cycle is with those children. Doing something fun for a couple hours a week can make an enormous difference in the life of the child, and also be a great relief to the mother. Your organization can also think of giving tickets to fun activities, events, etc to children from violence. For most of these kids, their childhood was stolen from them. You can help give it back. It’s priceless.

Legal Help

I am well aware that the reason there is virtually zero legal help for women in custody cases after domestic violence is that these can be long, expensive affairs. Men tend to continue the abuse through the court system- often hiring expensive attorneys while the women go in self-represented and afraid. I knew a woman whose ex-husband continued to molest her daughters for 10 years after she left because his attorney had gotten him unsupervised weekend visitation despite having been convicted of child abuse and molestation. A protective order only helps a bit in the beginning. The real place children’s lives are lost is in the divorce-custody trials that occur where the natural court prejudice is in favor of equal access for both parents, and often disregards the safety of the children.

If every large firm accepted one case a year pro-bono, thousands of children would be saved. If you are in private practice, make a group amongst each other where there is an attorney of record, but each of you agrees to share in the caseload required to represent the woman and child. There is no default court appointed attorney, or even investigator, for children of abuse (which I think there should be) and therefore, the court cases almost always go in favor of the abusive father- allowing them to harm the children indefinitely even after the woman has left.

Help Provide Supervision

Another big hole in the system is that there is a real lack of supervised visitation centers. Child welfare in most states previously provided court-ordered supervision, but among the many services closed for budget cuts, generally now only supervises foster children. Because there is no supervision that the court can order, the default becomes that the abusive father is given unsupervised visitation. Liability issues can help be alleviated by having the mother sign a release. Appropriate opportunities to help with supervision include: an office that already has security guards available; retired individuals from the military or law enforcement; a therapy center that has access to security guards, etc. I know this is a scary suggestion, but it’s more frightening for the children and mothers who have to live through unsupervised visitations with a proven abuser.

Political Advocacy

The system is incredibly broken when it comes to the rights of children and women who leave domestic violence. I could list dozens and dozens of ways that state and federal legislation could be changed to help protect these families. But for this, I will choose one: Under the Family Stabilization Act, Child Welfare offices around the U.S. are funded to provide a wide-range of voluntary services to help women get on their feet. However, the act was worded that the children who receive the services are at risk for abuse or neglect. Therefore, it was connected to child protective services. Since the mothers have primary custody of the children, that means that in order to receive services and help for their children, they have to have child protective services in their home. Not only is this intimidating- but there is a real fear: CPS is required to report and then cite a neglect violation to anything they see in the home, which can and does include “fire exits” (like windows) being blocked by toys. Women from domestic violence have been through so much already, it makes no sense that the victim is the one put under the microscope to get help for the children. Since the funding is already there- the solution is merely to separate out the Family Stabilization Act from CPS and put it under Health and Human Services.

In Conclusion

The number one question I am asked is “Why didn’t you leave?” I’m educated, I’ve been repeatedly successful in business, I can advocate for my children. Leaving is difficult and dangerous for anyone. But if there is no life to offer your children after you leave, and unsupervised visitation means the children are even more at risk, and there is no help for you to get back on your feet, and your children go from a comfortable life to a life of abject poverty…getting hit once in awhile seems like a small price to pay. That’s reality. I did leave. And we did suffer. And I did fight for my children tooth and nail. But most women don’t have the background to fight alone.

You can personally help end violence against women by helping them create a new life for themselves and their children. Living in a shelter, receiving hand-outs from the government or charities, is not a life. Women want a hand-up, not another hand-out.

I encourage you to read about the author Gail Zahtz at www.alifeguide.com. Her story reminds us how women can rise above adversity and empower themselves to positively change their life.

Little Known Ways to Help Families

Reaching Out With CARE

CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting poverty, is helping mothers around the world live better lives to better support their families.

Families in poverty stricken areas around the country need your help. One hard-working woman, Marie, a mother of three and a widow living in the Androy region of Madagascar, struggled to support her family for many years with farming, but only earned 75 cents a day.

Marie explains, "In the lean season, we ate only once a day — at night. During the day, we had only mangoes and cactus fruit as substitutes for meals."

Once Marie began participating in a CARE-supported farmers' association, she exercised her right to 25 acres of her family's farm. She is now able to feed her children three meals a day and also earns as much as $5 a day at the market by selling the wider variety of crops she learned to grow.

CARE encourages YOU to help mothers like Marie improve their skills, feed their families and earn their way out of poverty by making a tax-deductible gift today.

Here are some ways your support can make a difference:

• $56 can give 7 women like Marie seed packets to start their own garden and increase their family's income.

• $92 can supply 2 women like Dedicaciona in Peru with garden tool kits — including a spade, watering can and more — to cultivate their crop

• $150 can provide a woman like Farida in Bangladesh with a soil testing kit so that she can
  improve her harvest and help her community.

Marie says, "I have many goals I want to achieve in the future. I want to improve my family's lives and save for my children."

With YOUR help, you can help women like Marie, their families and those in their communities from living in poverty.

WOTW and Care thank you for your support. To learn how to continue helping others, please follow @womenwotw1 and @CARE on Twitter.

Tis' the Season to be Giving!

Here’s a Way to Give a Meaningful Holiday Gift

Now is the time to contribute to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives with Women for Women International’s Gifts That Give Back.

December 15 is the last day to place your order for these one-of-a-kind gifts, such as…

A bakery kit! When the women we serve step into the kitchen to bake, they aren't just making treats for their friends and family - they are earning an income. Help these women learn the skills and acquire the tools they need to start bakeries that provide food for their communities and a source of income.

For a selection of other unique, meaningful gifts, go to Gifts That Give Back.

Here is how it works:
1. You choose a symbolic gift.
2. Your loved one receives a special holiday card describing the symbolic gift given in

their honor.
3. Your donation goes to work immediately to help women survivors of war

rebuild their lives and their communities.

Choose your gifts by December 15th to ensure that your loved one receives a printed card in the mail.

P.S. Should you miss the December 15th deadline, you'll still have the option of sending an eCard.

All donations made through Gifts that Give Back are considered gifts to Women for Women International's global mission. Women for Women International, in order to best help the women they serve, puts your donation to use where it can be most effective in helping women victims of war transform their lives.

For more information on Women for Women International visit: http://www.womenforwomen.org/

“Keep your holiday shopping meaningful by sharing an impact that will keep the philanthropic spirit alive well after the holidays are over.”

On Monday, December 06, 2010, Women of the World partnered with the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, hosting a holiday party with purpose and passion.

A large group of women and supportive men celebrated the holiday season and contributed to United Way’s Adopt-A-Family program, donating gift cards and new toys.

This is United Way’s fifth annual Adopt-A-Family program, working with low-income families from around Chicagoland to ensure they are able to enjoy the holiday season. Because of the increased need, United Way hopes to help 110 families this year through this program. Individuals and companies can either pick a particular family to adopt or contribute to a pool of money to purchase gift cards, which are evenly distributed amongst the families.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by Betsey Means, founder of WomenLore. Her portrayal of Alicia Appleman-Jurman, a uniquely courageous young Polish Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust against all odds was extraordinary. “Alicia, My Story” is a story of dignity, survival, and strength.

Throughout December, Women of the World will offer suggestions for giving to those in need not only in our community but around the globe.

We begin with United Way’s program Adopt-A-Family .If you are interested in adopting a family please contact Gwen Sims at gsims@uw-mc.org or 312-906-2299.

The Story of Rosa Parks

A Woman Who Stood Up for Her Rights

“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” – Rosa Parks

Today, 55 years ago in Montgomery, Alabama, an African American, civil rights activist, Rosa Parks took a stand for her right that changed a nation. Striving for equality for all, she refused to give up her seat when she was ordered by a bus driver, James Blake, to make room for a white passenger.

In 1955, when racial segregation was highly evident, Parks sat in the “colored” section in the back of the bus after a day at work. When the front of the bus filled with white passengers and there were no seats left for others to sit at the front, Blake moved the “colored” sign in back of the row where Parks was sitting and ordered four people to move. When Parks refused to listen to Blake, he called the police. She was arrested, taken to jail and was bailed out later that evening.

Soon after 35,000 handbills were passed out calling for a boycott of the buses. As a result, African Americans refused to ride buses for 381 days.

On November 13, 1956 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unlawful. The next month signs on buses were removed and the boycott was over.

Parks died at the age of 92, on October 24, 2005. Even after the passing of Parks, her courageous actions on this day continue to make an impact, allowing people to have the freedom they deserve.

It took one woman who truly believed in taking a stand for women’s rights to change history forever. The journey does not stop with Rosa Parks - it is up to us to continue her fight for equality and human rights for all.