FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2019
Media Contact: Gina Hyams, PR Consultant (413) 629-3175 [email protected]
Spencertown Academy Arts Center Conversations with Neighbors Presents “Empowering Women and Girls Worldwide: An Afternoon of Film and Discussion”
Spencertown, New York– Spencertown Academy Arts Center Conversations with Neighbors presents “Empowering Women and Girls Worldwide: An Afternoon of Film and Discussion” on Sunday, February 9 at 2:00pm. The event will feature a panel composed of three local advocates: Tina Dipper (program director of Perfect 10), Caroline Wheeler (founder and executive director of Sisters for Peace), and Christina Lowery (CEO of Girl Rising), who will serve as moderator and show excerpts of the powerful documentary film, Girl Rising, that led to the founding of her non-profit. Admission is $20 general admission, $15 for members, and free for youth under age 18. Proceeds will be donated to the panelists’ organizations. Tickets are available at www.spencertownacademy.org (advance purchase recommended).
“We are so pleased to bring together three local women heading up these dynamic entities focused on changing the status of women and girls worldwide,” says Lisa Bouchard Hoe, chair of the Spencertown Academy Conversations with Neighbors Committee. “We look forward to a thought-provoking and inspiring afternoon.”
Christina Lowery is passionate about narrative storytelling as an engine of social awareness. In 2009, she helped found Girl Rising, serving as its managing director and in 2017 led its transition from a film production company to a non-profit. Girl Rising works with local partners by providing customized tools and curricula to build confidence and agency in girls and to change attitudes and social norms so that entire communities stand up for girls and against gender discrimination. Lowery is responsible for the strategy and execution of Girl Rising’s expanding work around the globe, including the production of new films and other media, implementation of on-the-ground programs, and ongoing engagement with public and private sector partners, foundations, media partners, educators, and grassroots supporters.
After reading Nicholas Kristof’s book, Half the Sky, Caroline Wheeler engaged 25 of her friends to participate in the Heifer Project and they bought a cow for a family. Each month after that, she would organize an act of giving, and each month the number of participants would grow. What began as an intimate giving circle has grown into Sisters for Peace, which is a 501c3 grant receiving/giving foundation that works to empower women and girls around the world through education, training, and community development.
Perfect Ten was founded in 2010 in Hudson, New York, to serve as a place where girls might gather, support one another, and develop the skills and courage required for making their own dreams come true. With enormous support from the community, the Hudson City School District, the women of Hudson, and the girls and their moms who committed to Perfect Ten, this vision has become a reality. Tina Dipper worked at Perfect Ten during its infancy and returned to the organization in June 2019. Having grown up in Hudson, she has experienced the lack of after-school activities and appreciates the opportunity and experience Perfect Ten has brought in to the community.
Spencertown Academy Arts Center Conversations with Neighbors is an occasional series designed to spark neighbor-to-neighbor conversations and celebrate the richness and diversity of the Columbia County community. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival former schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please see www.spencertownacademy.org or call 518-392-3693.
#####