http://ms.foundation.org/newsroom/press_releases/164c6c3b-bf68-4148-8610-5c8040129fd4

The Ms. Foundation for Women’s 22nd Annual Gloria Awards: A National Salute to Women of Vision

MEDIA ADVISORY



The Ms. Foundation for Women’s
22nd Annual Gloria Awards: A National Salute to Women of Vision


Honoring Jennifer and Peter Buffett and NoVo Foundation
Recognizing Remarkable Activists and Philanthropists
Celebrating Gloria Steinem’s Legacy of Change
Featuring Performance by Sarah Jones



Date:     Thursday, May 20, 2010
Place:    Mandarin Oriental
              Time Warner Building
              80 Columbus Circle (at 60th Street), New York City
Time:     6:00 pm Cocktails & Silent Auction
              7:00 pm Awards Ceremony & Dinner

Hosts: Ms. Foundation president & CEO, Sara K. Gould; Ms. Foundation co-founder, author and activist, Gloria Steinem
Event Chair: Harold & Kayrita Anderson Family Foundation CEO, Kayrita M. Anderson
Honorary Chair: Claire’s Stores, Inc. former co-chair & co-CEO, Bonnie Schaefer

Limited seats are available for press; please contact Irene Schneeweis at 212.709.4418 or ischneeweis@ms.foundation.org for more information.
For all other tickets, please contact Sandra Pérez at 212.709.4416 or sperez@ms.foundation.org.

Each year, the Ms. Foundation honors the remarkable achievements of grassroots women activists and their supporters whose courage and leadership ignite change on behalf of women, families and communities across the U.S. As Women of Vision they move us closer toward the realization of our shared vision of a just and inclusive democracy.

The 2010 Women of Vision Awardees are:

Carol Burnett, Founder and Executive Director, Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, Biloxi, MS: Carol advocates for improved child-care policies and greater public investment in child-care subsidy programs at this statewide non-profit, while also serving as executive director of Moore Community House, an organization providing comprehensive programs for low-income families, including a construction training program for women.

Silvia Henríquez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), Washington, DC & NYC: Under Silvia’s leadership NLIRH has become one of the leading organizations working to advance the reproductive health, rights and justice for Latinas in the U.S. Silvia and NLIRH have played a key advocacy role in promoting health care reform to address the priorities of low-income women, women of color and immigrants.

Jasmin Woodbury, Youth Organizer, DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) Providence, RI: At age 16, Jasmin became the youngest paid youth organizer of DARE -- an economic justice organization – and successfully recruited numerous youth in Providence to address issues affecting their community, including a campaign to address school drop-out rates.

The 2010 Philanthropic Leadership Awardees are:

Woman of Vision and Action Award: Jane Comer, Birmingham, AL
Through her philanthropic endeavors, Jane Comer has helped to improve the lives of countless women and girls.

Philanthropic Vision Award: Jennifer and Peter Buffett and NoVo Foundation
Jennifer and Peter Buffet and the NoVo Foundation will be recognized for their pioneering work to end child sexual abuse, in partnership with the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Special Tribute:
Katie Grover, Greenwich, CT
Katie Grover will receive a special award in honor of her outstanding leadership as chair of the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Board of Trustees.

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About the Ms. Foundation for Women
The Ms. Foundation for Women, a social justice foundation, delivers grants, capacity-building and leadership development to over 150 grassroots and national advocacy organizations throughout the U.S. Ms. Foundation support enables groups to create connections across issues, constituencies and policymaking levels to strengthen social movements and ignite change on behalf of women, families and communities. Since 1973, when it was co-founded by Gloria Steinem, the Foundation has granted more than $50 million to organizations in rural and urban areas nationwide. ms.foundation.org

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Irene Schneeweis, Senior Communications Manager: 212.709.4418, ischneeweis@ms.foundation.org

 

 

 



Gloria Award
winners are selected by Ms. Foundation Program Officers and the Program Team for their commitment and achievements in the areas of safety, economic justice, women's health, and dedication to building a strong inclusive democracy.


   

Massachusetts Citizens for Children created the Enough Abuse Campaign to address child sexual abuse through a statewide education and training effort. Learn more and view video

   

CAAAV organizes across diverse, low-wage, and poor Asian communities in New York City, to expose and struggle against violence with the goal of building community capacity to exercise self-determination. Building coalitions enables CAAAV to contribute to a unified strategy for a broader, multi-racial and multi-issue movement for social change. Learn more and view video

   

Domestic Workers United is an organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York, organizing for power, respect, fair labor standards and to help build a movement to end exploitation and oppression for all. Learn more and view video

   

SMART (Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS Research and Treatment) University welcomes all women living with or affected by HIV/AIDS who are interested in getting control of their lives; willing to listen and be heard; and interested in learning how to better their health in order to live longer and healthier lives. Learn more and view video

   

2009 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Naina Khanna, Director of Policy and Community Organizing at Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Disease (WORLD), supports, educates and mobilizes women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS encouraging them to advocate for policy change that meets their unique and, often, unmet needs. Learn more and view video

   

2009 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Gina Womack, Director and Co-Founder of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), is an impassioned community organizer dedicated to creating a better life for all of Louisiana's youth, especially those involved in or targeted by the juvenile justice system. Learn more and view video

   

2009 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Kirbie Platero, a member and organizer at Young Women United, is a 19-year old activist, mother and artist working to secure reproductive justice for girls and women. She recently helped lead a successful campaign in New Mexico that brought young women of color to advocate before state officials for the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools. Learn more and view video

   

2008 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Yunuen Rodriguez is an advocate for media justice, violence prevention and culture change that respects women and girls. She successfully led negotiations with a Chicago radio station to drop a sexually exploitative ad campaign and testified before the Federal Communications Commission... Learn more and view video

   

2008 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Brenda Dardar Robichaux is the Principal Chief of the United Houma Nation and founder of the United Houma Nation Relief Fund. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated her tribe in Southeastern Louisiana, Robichaux mobilized to meet the immediate needs of the Houma Nation and established training in non-traditional jobs for women... Learn more and view video

   

2007 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Ashley Nicole Tomlinson. After participating in Odyssey Youth Center's legislative lobby day trip on comprehensive sexuality education, Tomlinson became inspired to change her life and her community... Learn more and view video

   

2007 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Ai-Jen Poo was Lead Organizer and Founder of Domestic Workers United where she worked to build the power of the New York domestic workforce... Learn more and view video

   

2007 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Vanessa Johnson is co-founder of the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC) a coalition of Ms. Foundation grantees representing groups run by and for HIV-positive women and aiming to change policy at the national level. Learn more and view video

   

Demetra Tennison is the peer advocacy coordinator for the Women Rising Project -- an organization devoted to addressing the needs of women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Hear about her rise to advocacy and her continued fight against stigma and fear. Learn more and view the slide show

 

   

Migrant Health Promotion works to make sure migrant farm workers throughout the US get access to health and health services, mobilizing migrant farm communities to fight for the services, resources, and rights they deserve. Learn more and view the slide show

   

StoryCorps -- the national storytelling organization -- joined the Atlanta 2010 Building Movements convening. Grantees shared stories of their work, lives and vision for a more just and safe world. Learn more and listen to the stories

   

2010 Marie C. Wilson Young Woman's Leadership Awardee, Jasmin Woodbury, was the youngest youth organizer to ever join Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE). In her time at DARE Jasmin elevated the voices of youth, spearheading a campaign to make the local school board and the superintendent pay attention to the root causes of high drop-out rates in public schools. Learn more and view the video

   

2010 Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Awardee, Carol Burnett, is the founding executive director of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative (MLICCI). Through her work at MLICCI Carol advocates for state policy reform and strengthens the capacity of child-care centers across Mississippi to deliver quality, affordable care. Learn more and view video

   

2010 Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Awardee, Silvia Henriquez, is the executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Silvia envisions a world where "women and girls, Latinas, are able to make decisions about their health that are free from stigma, free from coercion, and that these decisions are respected and made with dignity.” Learn more and view video

   

Throughout our history, the Ms. Foundation for Women has been driven by the fundamental belief that the tough challenges we face as a nation cannot be solved without the full participation and leadership of women and girls in all aspects of society.
See how the Ms. Foundation and our grantees are helping to lead the way. Watch the Video

   

Hollaback! was started in 2005 to address the failure of public policy to combat street harassment. The organization harnesses the story-telling and sharing ability of new technologies in order to track, catalogue and report instances of street harassment. Ultimately, Hollaback! fights for a culture that does not allow street harassment to be the &"’price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay." Learn more and view the video

   

The prevalence of sexual assault in our armed services is a national disgrace -- and Ms. Foundation grantee Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) is doing all it can to end to this epidemic. The following is the story of one Marine's story of sexual assault in the military, as told to us by her mother. Her abuse at the hands of her attacker -- and the military's response to it -- make it all too clear how important SWAN's work is. Learn more and view the video

   

In early 2011 the Ms. Foundation brought together two grantees, Sarita Gupta of our National Jobs with Justice and Attica Woodson Scott of Kentucky Jobs with Justice, for a conversation about KJwJ's recent victory in defeating harsh anti-immigrant legislation in the Bluegrass State -- and how legislating hate harms us all. Learn more and view the video

   

2011 Women of Vision awardee, Kathy Miller, is President of the Texas Freedom Network in Austin, TX. Under Kathy’s leadership, the Texas Freedom Network has made critical progress in the struggle to bring comprehensive sexual health education to one of the most conservative states in the nation. Read more and view the video.

   

As Coordinator of Kentucky Jobs with Justice in Louisville, KY, our 2011 Woman of Vision awardee, Attica Woodson Scott, demonstrates a fierce commitment to social justice and progressive change. With Attica at the helm, Kentucky Jobs with Justice has evolved into a broad-based coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations and labor unions united to promote, protect and improve the quality of life for all workers. Learn more and view the video.

   

2011 Marie C. Wilson Young Women's Leadership awardee, Priscilla Rorie, worked as the Youth Coordinator for Close to Home in Dorchester, MA. Through her work with CTH, Priscilla has inspired dozens of youth to speak out, share their stories, and break the vicious cycle of silence and shame that perpetuates domestic, sexual and community violence. Read more and view the video



   

[Ashley Blanchard] Smart, strategic philanthropy is difficult work, and involves thorough research and close interaction with the grant recipient. The Ms. Foundation has the skilled staff and on-the-ground knowledge to find those organizations around the nation that are doing excellent work with tiny staffs and budgets...Read more

   

[Judy Belk] As a passionate supporter of the Ms. Foundation, I realize I'm drawn to the foundation's work because it doesn't force me to make a false choice between two parts of my very being. My race and gender are so intertwined within me that I don't know where one begins and the other ends. I'm a black woman and I don't really give a hoot why folks might choose to discriminate against me….I just know as Ms. knows, that discrimination in any form is painful, dehumanizing and can turn an otherwise gentle soul into an angry black woman within seconds. Read more

   

[Lynne Rosenthal] That the Ms. Foundation would be the beneficiary of my first million-dollar gift seemed only natural. Over the years, as a donor, I grew to learn the importance of the foundation, not only the people who worked there but also those it helped benefit...I saw the genius of the cross-race, cross-class approach to grant-making...that places at the decision-making table not just the women with money but also women who may have little money but who, as grassroots activists, know just how it can be best invested in the community. Read more

   

[Jean Shinoda Bolen] The Ms. Foundation for Women was the first, and for a time, the only national foundation to support women's equality, empowerment and rights. Grants were small -- but support also came from the connection with the foundation. It was like having a big sister at your back. Today the grants are larger, but the spirit of sisterhood support remains. Read more

   

[Jane S. Comer] I am a confident investor in the Ms. Foundation because in its nearly 40 years, it has built the knowledge and expertise to impact the lives of women throughout the US. And as the Ms. Foundation has already demonstrated expertise in effectively supporting sexuality education advocacy in key states across the country, I am confident that my contribution to the Ms. Foundation will catalyze real change for the issues I care most about. Read more

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Ms. Foundation for Women, 12 MetroTech Center, 26th Fl, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Telephone:(212) 742-2300|Fax: (212) 742-1653|Email: info@ms.foundation.org