March 3, 2010 — South Africa Project (www.southafricaproject.org), the 2010 FIFA World Cup-centric initiative of Ubuntu Now (ubuntunow.org), has launched a “Wall of Supporters” on its website. As the international spotlight on South Africa continues to increase while the biggest single sports event on earth grows closer, the South Africa Project hopes to use the heightened visibility to raise global awareness of the nation’s deep-seated gender equality issues.
“The Wall is an easy way for anyone to become part of an extended part of a group of people that want to make a difference,” said Klaus Holzapfel, founder and president of Ubuntu Now. “We think that in addition to enjoying the World Cup, fans and non-fans alike should use this time of celebration to make a contribution and show their support for the people of South Africa.”
Prominently displayed on the South Africa Project’s website, the new “Wall of Supporters” is a collective graphic page on which contributors are offered a place on the wall in exchange for a minimum donation of $10. Besides allowing donors a way to publicly display their belief in the cause, each avatar provides a portal to the individual’s online presence. Via use of rollovers, viewers are able to access the supporter’s customizable Ubuntu Now profile, personal website and Facebook and Twitter, along with other social media links.
Every $10 Wall donation to the South Africa Project is utilized. For example, $70 provides a community with a rape prevention education and promotion kit, $400 can put a community mobilizer to work, and $1,000 sponsors a comprehensive community workshop on the subject. More information can be found at One Man Can (genderjustice.org.za/onemancan), a partner of the South Africa Project.
“It would be a travesty to gloss over the country’s issues at this crucial time,” said Holzapfel. “We can’t forget that 25 percent of South African men admit to sexual assault by force and that, according the BBC, a South African woman has a higher chance of being raped than she does of learning how to read and write.”
South Africa has arguably the highest incidence of rape on the globe, with over 50,000 reported cases and expert estimates of the total number of cases around 500,000. In addition, the country has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV infection, with 12.7 percent of South Africans infected, compared with 0.4 percent in the United States. And 1.4 million South African children have been orphaned as a result of the virus’ devastation.
South Africa Project was created by Colorado non-profit organization Ubuntu Now, which is dedicated to preventing rape and domestic violence through the promotion of gender equality among boys and young men. Additionally, the organization offers psychological support to victims of rape and domestic violence, including those who have contracted HIV/AIDS as a result of these crimes.
Karen Earl, Director of Jenesse Center poses with Halle Berry, Ambassador for Jenesse Center (David Livingston / Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Jenesse Center is proud to announce the dates for the 2010 Silver Rose Weekend, chaired by Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry. Celebrating its 30 year anniversary of continued service in the community, Jenesse will kick off the weekend event with the annual Silver Rose Gala and Auction on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, followed by the 2nd Annual Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, April 19, 2010 at the Wilshire Country Club.
From YouTube
Jenesse Center is a national non-profit organization that provides a holistic, comprehensive program to nurture victimized families back to a place of mental, financial, physical and emotional well-being.
The theme for the 2010 Silver Rose event is “In a Perfect World.” Avis Frazier-Thomas, Jenesse Board President said, “The 2010 Annual Silver Rose Weekend theme is ‘In a Perfect World’ because in a perfect world, domestic violence does not exist. We work diligently with the hope in our hearts that if we continue to aggressively raise awareness, provide the proper services and engage community support, we will drastically reduce domestic violence and possibly…eliminate it altogether. We thank our partners who are in the trenches with us on the quest to end domestic violence. With continued support, we will continue to plant the seeds of peace and harmony as a way of life for our clients and the community. We invite everyone to join us for the 2010 Silver Rose Weekend in April and together, protect our greatest treasure, the American family.”
Karen Earl, Executive Director of the Jenesse Center said, “We are so grateful to have the support of so many businesses, organizations and individuals. This is such important work and we are excited that each year more great people are joining us to bring peace and healing into the homes of families who struggle with domestic violence. I also want to thank the Jenesse Center Board who work tirelessly year-round to champion the cause of the families who so need our help.”
Jenesse Ambassador, Halle Berry, said, “The Silver Rose Weekend will raise much needed funds to help families victimized by domestic violence. Over the past 10 years I’ve watched the lives of countless families transformed and I am excited about the future for these families as we work to build on our success and bring an end to their suffering one family at a time.”
For more information on the Silver Rose Weekend, please call Jenesse Center at 323.299.9496, ext. 103 or visit the website at www.jenesse.org. All events are ticketed and open to the public. Event will also host a silent, live and national online auction. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
(Thursday, November 12, 2009) NBC Nightly News “Celebrities Making a Difference” special week long series. Halle Berry shares her dedication to working with domestic violence survivors with NBC’s Natalie Morales.
Karen Earl, Director of Jenesse Center poses with Halle Berry, Ambassador for Jenesse Center (David Livingston / Getty Images)
Halle Berry is no stranger to domestic violence having grown up in a household where her own mother was a victim of domestic violence. During the interview, she shares that even some of her own dating relationships in the past became at risk of repeating the same pattern from her mother, but she was able to recognize the early warning signs and end those relationships. Over the past 10 years, Halle has been working very closely with the Jenesse Center in Los Angeles, serves as the Ambassador, and provides both financial and hands-on support. The Jenesse Center has grown to 6 different shelters in the Los Angeles area for over 8000 battered women a year and their children who need a safe place to stay and assistance dealing with the emotional trauma, legal aspects, and vocational assistance.
NOTE: If the links do not work, go to the Making a Difference website and you’ll find links to each celebrity about 2/3 down the page under a heading “Celebrities Making A Difference.”
I’m watching this series in order as I write, so I haven’t seen Tim McGraw’s feature yet, but I have been most impressed by Halle Berry’s involvement. I can only imagine that there was a similar sentiment when recording her interview because there is more video footage available online than the others. I say that not to diminish the work of other celebrities featured but to applaud Halle Berry. To hear that she is willing to roll up her sleeves and stuff envelopes and get to know the women and children at the shelter is truly inspiring. At the same time, she’s used her celebrity status to rally support financially for Jenesse Center even starting an annual golf event and fundraiser. Additionally, I liked that Jenessee Center offers unconditional assistance to women who may decide to leave before completing the program but then return at a different time. I was also impressed by the director of Jenesse Center Karen Earl particularly her drive to make the facility the best it can be.
It was interesting that they touched upon the fact that domestic violence was not about class, briefly highlighting Rihanna and Chris Brown as an example. I think Natalie Morales did a fantastic job with this interview. After seeing this, I am adding Jenesse Center to my personal list of organizations to support financially. I don’t take that notion lightly, but I was really touched by Halle Berry’s work and the Jenesse Center as a whole. I have listed some specific pages on the Jenesse Center website, but I encourage you to surf around to read about various events, volunteer, and sponsorship opportunities.
The Jenesse Center was the official charity of this year’s 2009 Los Angeles Marathon. Check out the promotional video below…
The Silver Rose Weekend is three days of exciting events that raise support and awareness for the programs and services provided by Jenesse Center. There will be a VIP Reception on Saturday, April 17, 2010 (location TBA), an Awards Gala and Auction on Sunday, April 18, 2010, 12noon at the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, April 19, 2010 at the Wilshire Country Club.
This is a little dated but still helpful to watch.
Information about Halle Berry’s Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting Jenesse Center, Inc.
“NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” regularly airs a “Making A Difference” segment whose focus is to showcase the “extraordinary efforts of ordinary people.” Beginning on Monday, November 9, 2009, NBC Nightly News hosted a special edition of this segment “Celebrities Making A Difference” highlighting philanthropic efforts from celebrities each night this week. Today (Friday), will close out this series, but I wanted to bring this information to you through my blog to encourage viewership and discussion.
Here’s a schedule from this week’s “Celebrities Making A Difference”…
MONDAY
(Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)
Jon Bon Jovi speaks to NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams about his Soul Foundation (www.jonbonjovisoulfoundation.org) established to help create affordable housing in the Philadelphia and New Jersey region where he grew up.
TUESDAY
(Kevin Mazur / WireImage)
Alicia Keys speaks to NBC’s Lester Holt about her Keep A Child Alive foundation (keepachildalive.org) aimed at providing lifesaving medication for those in Africa and India who have succumbed to HIV/AIDS.
WEDNESDAY
(Bryan Bedder / Getty Images)
Glenn Close tells NBC’s Anne Thompson about her ongoing work supporting New York’s Fountain House (www.fountainhouse.org) a place that assists the mentally ill.
THURSDAY
(David Livingston / Getty Images)
Halle Berry is interviewed by NBC’s Natalie Morales about her continued support of the Jenessee Center (www.jenesse.org) in Los Angeles that serves women who have been victims of domestic violence.
FRIDAY
(Larry Busacca / Getty Images)
Tim McGraw closes out this special series in an interview with NBC’s Amy Robach about the organization he co-founded with also famous wife Faith Hill called Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation (www.neighborskeeper.org) that provides ongoing aid to survivors from devastating 2005 Hurricane Katrina.
Each of these segments will follow in separate blog posts.
Wish I could feel sorry for Chris Brown….BUT I DON’T!!! I have some work for him outside my house. Send him to Ohio, and I’ll make sure he gets some work done.
What I haven’t figured out is why he is in Virginia? Is that considered where he lives?
On the surface, this seems a little odd. Your hairstylist who studied cosmetology might also serve as a good therapist? However, at least us ladies know, there is quite a bond that forms with your hairstylist. Often we find ourselves chatting away about things we wouldn’t share as openly with our closest friends. They get to know our families, our husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, children.
Here are some snippets from the article. The full article can be seen by clicking the article title above.
The privileged, often therapeutic relationship between hairdressers and clients has long been the subject of magazine articles and movies. A growing movement in New York and across the nation tries to harness that bond to identify and prevent domestic violence, a pervasive problem that victims are often too ashamed to reveal to law enforcement or other public officials.
Ms. Vasquez, Ms. Castillo and Ms. Florentino are all stylists in Manhattan who have been trained (or are being trained) as part of a one-year-old program by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services in beauty salons in the Washington Heights area, where a high number of cases of abuse and neglect in homes have a component of violence that is not necessarily aimed at children. The initiative joins similar efforts that have been sprouting across the nation; perhaps the best known, called Cut It Out and based in Chicago, has trained 40,000 salon professionals in all 50 states to recognize telltale signs of domestic abuse…
…“The salon may be one of the few places women might be without their abuser around,” said Laurie Magid, a former state prosecutor who is acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “This program really addresses a need. You don’t have a case unless you have a crime reported in the first place and that is the difficult area of domestic violence.”
While Cut it Out trains stylists offsite, the Washington Heights workshops, conducted in Spanish, take place inside beauty parlors during the hours that clients are served, which not only makes it easier for people to participate, but also enhances the comfort factor…
Read about the City of Chicago’s Cut It Out programHERE or HERE.
There’s no data out there to report on the success rate, but do you think this approach could be helpful to women?
50% of your donation (less Pay Pal fees) will go to Emerge Global charity (http://emergeglobal.org/). The other 50% funds the sweat equity I put into my work for your enjoyment. My hope is that one day I will be able to donate 100% to charity.
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