By Emily Lockwood
Life Editor
Many students simply read books for pleasure. However, some people are heavily impacted by the messages a story conveys, inspiring them to stand up for a cause and make beneficial changes within their community.
Juniors Katy Edson, Kendall Gee and Ariana Gevov read “Half the Sky,” a novel by Nicholas Kristof. Edson, Gee and Gevov were greatly inspired after reading about the horrors of oppressed women and wanted to make a difference. They created the Voices of Women club to aid oppressed women around the world.
“We were inspired to start a club because of the book, which emphasizes turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide,” Gee said.
Gevov’s family friend Krista Capo traveled to Africa in 2005, where she met Debbie Heart, who escaped from a youth militia in Zimbabwe. After meeting Heart, Capo decided to take her in.
“I met [Krista] at the Safe House,” Heart said. “She came and hugged me, and it was the first hug I had in a long time. My heart felt that I could trust her.”
Heart’s life has been filled with several hardships, including sexual abuse and separation from her two daughters.
“Listening to [Heart] cry while she told us the horrendous things that the men did to her was heartbreaking, and we knew we wanted to make a change,” Gee said.
According to its members, VOW’s goals are to purchase plane tickets for Heart and her family to come to the United States and provide school tuition for her daughters in Africa.
Capo is the adult participant of Gee, Gevov and Edson’s club. After hearing Heart’s story and talking to her personally over Skype through Capo, the club has begun to focus on changing Heart’s and her daughters’ lives for the better.
“We have had quite a few fundraisers in order to raise money to support Debbie and her daughters,” Edson said.
To continue helping Heart and her children, the club held a holiday boutique on Dec. 7. They sold ornaments, candles, jewelry and other holiday items. Junior Hudson Caceres provided live music for the event.
“At the boutique, we raised enough money to cover Heart’s daughters’ education for the year, and we were also able to sponsor 21 other children,” Gee said.
After successful fundraising, VOW’s next goal is to become a nonprofit organization. In order to do so, members have to keep records and tax receipts from club activities and establish a mission statement and a board of directors to run the club.
“We recently met with someone who is helping our club become a nonprofit organization,” Edson said. “This will help us to continue our pursuit.”
Leave a Reply