Jeffersonian Dinner #2 opening question

Can't guarantee a rainbow at dinner, but looks like we'll have cloudy skies.

Hello wonderful women!
As our Jeffersonian Dinner is quickly approaching,  I thought I would send an update about the event.

Our dinner discussing rape culture* will be held in my "newish to me" West Hills home.  I am pretty sure everyone knows about the location, but just in case I am confirming.  The address is on your invitation and the date confirmed with all of you.  Please message me if you need any logistics info.  I'm so excited to share another evening of stimulating conversation, excellent food and company.

So the opening question.  From all the research and discussions I've had on this issue, narrowing it to one opening question has been crazy difficult for me.   So, I consulted a few professionals for advice.  Rape culture is such a multi-faceted topic that crosses into so many areas that we will start with:  How do you define rape culture?  I hope from there to delve into discussion of how it's present in subtle ways that we may not even notice or feel compelled to do something about.  But we will see where our discussion takes us!!

*Please note: since we are discussing a sensitive topic I want to make sure everyone knows the evening will be a safe forum to speak freely (or not speak much at all!) and all comments will remain anonymous.  Because so many people want to join this conversation even though they cannot be at the dinner,  I will write a follow up post.  I'll check in with all of you about what I can include and certainly will not use names.

A couple more details:
Two questions have come up a few times in conversation about the dinner series:  Why a Jeffersonian Dinner and not a pay per plate dinner?  How to you connect development with a hosted dinner?

The dinner's purpose is to engage a diverse group of thinkers in a lively discussion about a topic over delicious food.  The purpose is not to actively fundraise.  I haven't partnered (yet) with a non-profit  for this evening.  As always, a portion of fundraising events and sales from my etsy shop (deactivated until Saturday's pop up shop is over) benefit charities focusing on girls' education worldwide.

Warmest regards,

A

Dinner's opening question and a short video to watch before Friday night.

Hello!
For those of you who can't make the dinner Friday night, but want to be part of the conversation and the solution to ending the cycle of poverty for girls, I'm posting the opening question and a short 3:04 video to watch.

"Has one person made a difference in your education?  If so, who was that person and what did they do for you?"

One person can make a difference.
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A

It's a dinner party with a twist!

Wickersham Roundtable Dinner series 2014-2015.

Over the next 9 months I will be hosting 3 separate Jeffersonian Dinners (see side bar pages to get a detailed explanation of the dinner) in my historic NW Portland home. The dinners are intended to encourage stimulating, thought provoking conversations about issues women and girls face today.  Each dinner will highlight a different non-profit organization and touch upon different, yet inextricably intertwined topics.  There is no cost to come to the dinners.  Nor are there any formal presentations or obligations or requests for donations.  The only prerequisites are that you are interested in discussing the topic and enjoy eating delicious food prepared by a professional chef!

Dinner #1:  September 26, 2014 to highlight Kenya Keys.

Discussion: Ending the cycle of poverty for girls.

A portion of this dinner is generously sponsored by Linnea Osterberg, Photographer.

Dinner #2:  mid-Jan to mid-Feb (date and non-profit partner TBD).

Discussion:  The issue of rape culture in our society.

Dinner #3:  mid-May to mid-June 2015 (date and non-profit partner TBD).

Discussion:  How we interface with the homeless in our community and what we are teaching our children about this issue.

I invite you to join the google group at the sidebar, subscribe via email, or send me an email at eleven2thirteen@gmail.com to keep informed of dinner dates, discussions, and non-profit partners.  I promise you won't get a ton of email or notifications in your inbox.   I'd just like to keep track of who is interested in invitations to which dinner, and the subjects we are discussing so I don't miss sending out a formal invitation to an interested guest!

Feel free to forward this to your friends or family who may be interested!
Thanks for reading.
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The fine print:  Because The Wickersham Roundtable Dinner series is not a traditional fundraising event (no tickets are sold, no items are auctioned off), we are always looking for corporate sponsors or personal donations to help offset the costs.  Donations made to the series will be tax deductible to the extent of the law.  Please note:  currently, we have partnered with Kenya Keys for Dinner #1, so any donations for that dinner should me made directly to them.  If you are passionate about another dinner topic and want to contribute, I will be updating this site with non profit partners as they are confirmed.

Feel free to contact me with any questions about sponsorship!

  

Transparency.

Transparency is such a hot topic right now in government, business, personal development, non profit organizations, and window sales (ha!).  Given the surge in awareness of open and honest business activity, I'm writing this post to enhance the transparency my projects.  Most of my supporters tell me, "I know you so I know you will do good with the donation I'm giving."  I love that trust and apply it to my daily actions.  But in this post,  I'm taking that trust a step further to inform supporters who aren't around me all the time,  or who may not know what projects I'm working on and where their efforts and financial donations are going.  If you're a new reader and want to become involved in any of these projects, send me an email and we'll get started!

A little timeline:

Water project partnership with Kenya Keys.
I started this project in fall 2008 as a chance to bring clean drinking water to a community in Africa.  Girls didn't go to school because they spent hours searching for water to drink, cook and bathe in.  Once I met the founders of Kenya Keys, we worked together to find the best fit for achieving clean water and helping girls stay in school.  With your efforts and donations, in 2011, Kenya Keys was able to build a sanitary water system in a secondary school dormitory which houses up to 80 girls!

Trafficking project.
Co-founded TORO  in 2012 with Margot Stewart.   Our goal was to bring awareness to the issue of domestic human trafficking and provide people with resources to get more information.  11% of our profits went to the Polaris Project, specifically Mei-Mei Ellerman's personal campaign.  We've taken a pause from this project but you can access some of the resources if you visit the site.

I printed up small awareness fliers that I continue to leave in hotel rooms, restaurant bathrooms, and airplane magazines all over the world when I'm traveling.  I've also been known to leave them in library books (shhh!).  I think it's a great way to inform people about this issue in a loud whisper and provide the resource line if someone needs to use it.  Let me know if you'd like to be a part of this project and I'll mail you some fliers.

Social justice/human rights/advocacy work.
I continue to be involved with local agencies in the Portland area addressing women's rights.  I work with survivors, write grants for special projects, serve on development committees, and work on creative projects all geared towards advancing women's and girls' socio-economic standing.

Wickersham Roundtables.
I'm hosting a series of Jeffersonian dinner parties (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) in my historic downtown Portland condominium.  The first dinner is planned for late September.  Dinner guests will engage in a roundtable discussion about working towards ending the cycle of poverty for girls.
More about this project later.  This post is getting a little long…..

Happy warm weather everyone.
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A