|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Members and friends of the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club collected 213 new and gently used bras as well as 50 new pairs of underwear valued at more than $6,800 for victims of sex trafficking. These items, collected by Free The Girls, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, will provide a livelihood for the victims. The idea of getting involved in the Free The Girls Bra Drive came from CGWC member Lourdes Perez. Free the Girls takes the donated bras and panties to help women who are victims of sex trafficking earn a living wage.For several weeks members and friends collected new panties and new or gently used bras and shipped them to Free the Girls is dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking find a way to be truly free. The bras and panties are valuable commodities and are used to give women a way to set up a business and make money so as not to voluntarily go back to prostitution to survive.
Members of the woman’s club gathered on Apr. 7 for a “Day Of Service” to pack up the donations and prepare to ship. Among those helping out that day were club president Ruth Martinez, Donna Myrill, Iris Segui, Lourdes Perez, and Ana Lam.
Aside for the above mentioned event, these women always are busy with their monthly Gringo Bingo at Clutch Burger, the first Tuesday of every month. A recent art class was coordinated by art chair Ashley Wojnar who recruited watercolor artist Heriberto Mora to teach an art class on Apr. 15. That same evening the club’s book club group met at Grape & Vine and yet another group was preparing for the club’s upcoming Mother’s Day Tea fundraiser scheduled for the Saturday before Mother’s Day on May. 8. The members also have ongoing projects such as food distributions, blood and mammograms drives, healthy cooking classes and more.
For information on how you can join this group of active women and/or to attend the Tea, visit www.gfwccoralgableswomansclub.org.
Kristi House’s “Sky’s the Limit” fundraiser gala on Apr. 17, was chaired by three amazing women — Lauren Harrison Brown, Maria Maloof and Priscilla Marrero. A creative gala night consisted of intimate dinners at private homes hosted by corporate and individual donors who served small groups of guests in compliance with CDC protocols.
With travel destinations in mind, hosts chose their desired “destination” countries along with paired menu offerings. Teams of chefs and servers, along with deejays, bartenders and musicians, were hand-selected to fit the theme of each location. Kristi House’s annual fundraiser dinner accounts for 15 percent of the nonprofit organization’s $5.2 million annual budget.
Kudos to the City of Coral Gables for helping to keep prescription drugs off the street and dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner. Partnering with Covanta Dade Renewable Energy, Coral Gables already has collected and safely destroyed over 1,280 pounds of prescription drugs. When drugs are flushed down the drain or disposed of in landfills, medications can enter the waterways and contaminate surface waters, having an adverse effect on the drinking water and the environment.
In addition, unused medications in the household contribute to growing rates of accidental exposure or intentional misuse among Americans, particularly teenagers.
Coral Gables has a prescription dropoff bin in the lobby of the new Police and Fire Headquarters, at 2151 Salzedo St. And drop offs can be made 24/7. for more info, visit www.coralgables.com/prescriptiondrugdisposal.
Finally, please tune in to our Community Newspapers Facebook Live shows. My show airs every Monday, 10 a.m., and can be seen later on CN’s website at www.communitynewspapers.com or Facebook and YouTube. Many thanks to Gloria’s Gab LIVE show sponsors including Clutch Burger; Jackie Milanes, Allthingsjackiem, and Beraja Medical Institute, a company of Quigley Eye Specialists. For information on this show or for any of the charitable events covered in this column, email gloria@cnews.net.
Until next time, keep making each day count, share an act of kindness every day and stay safe.
