Plan International USA’s NYCLC to Hold Second Annual Fundraiser
Special Guest Honored: Journalist Tim Swarens
By Mabel Pais
The NYC Leadership Council
The NYC Leadership Council is a women’s volunteer group of passionate New York City and tri-state business owners and professionals who support Plan’s global gender equality initiate, Because I am a Girl, designed to ensure girls everywhere can learn, lead, decide, and thrive. They know that the potential of girls in developing countries is far greater than the poverty they are born into.
This year’s theme is “Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change the Future for Girls,” celebrating the potential of girls globally.
Plan and the NYC Leadership Council believe girls belong in school, on corporate boards, and as government leaders, anywhere and everywhere boys or men belong.
These women have dedicated themselves to raising awareness and funds to
Projects:The Child Trafficking Prevention:The Fight to protect girls in Nepal from being bought and sold like pieces of property. Salons:NYCLC hosts small gatherings in private homes with Plan International USA’s program experts to spark discussion and inspire learning. International Day of the Girl Celebration: Observed on October 11, the International Day of the Girl is their largest fundraising event. This year’s event takes place on October 10. Corporate women’s groups:NYCLC partners with corporate women’s groups to increase awareness and expand the network of advocates for girls’ rights. For more information on the NYCLC, their projects or to join, visit www.planusa.org/nyclc. Plan International USA Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan believes in the power and potential of every child. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. For more information, visit www.PlanUSA.org. |
“The world is better when all girls can learn, lead, decide, and thrive no matter what course they choose in life or where they live”
– Dr. Tessie San Martin, President & CEO of Plan International USA (PLAN)
The UN’sInternational Day Of The Girl(IDG)observed on October 11, will be hosted and celebrated on October 10 in New York City by Plan International USA’s (PLAN) New York City Leadership Council (NYCLC).
Plan International USA’s NYC Leadership Council hosts its second annual fundraiser in celebration of the International Day of the Girl. Plan’s theme this year is “Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change The Future For Girls.” This is a celebration of the potential of girls around the world!
This event honors special guest journalist Tim Swarens, who will also speak at the event.
Too often, girls are prevented from realizing their basic rights like learning, leading, and deciding when and whether to marry and have children. They are silenced and excluded from the choices that shape their futures. But NYCLC and PLANUSA say, “Girls belong HERE!”
Girls belong in schools and in leadership roles. They belong on an even playing field with boys. Supporters of their project can help them get there!
“I fell in love with Plan’s work….. after attending the Youth Leadership Academy (YAB) in 2016 and wanted to get more involved with the organization……. in order to voice youths’ opinions and speak up for those who can’t”.
– Fatima, Youth Advisory Board Member, PLAN
Girls Belong Here: Challenges and Triumphs
Hear about some of the issues girls around the world face every day—obstacles that keep them out of school, forced into marriage too young, or sold into sex trafficking—and the solutions and inspiring stories you can be part of.
The event also features a panel discussion about the challenges girls face around the world and how these barriers can be overcome. The panelists will be moderated by Craig Geddes, Senior Program Manager for Education and Protection at Plan.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $95 – $500
Location: Grant Thornton, at 47thand 3rdAvenue, New York, NY
Theme:Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change The Future For Girls
Program
Wine reception, food, networking, and silent auction to benefit Plan International USA’s project to protect girls from sex trafficking.
Opening Remarks:Dr. Tessie San Martin, President & CEO, Plan International USA
Dr. San Martin is a seasoned executive with 30 years of experience working in international development, focused especially on economic growth and political reform.
Her work has taken her all over the world, where professional initiatives have involved supporting disenfranchised populations, a significant number of which are women and young girls.
SPECIAL GUEST HONOREE & SPEAKER:
Tim Swarens, Journalist, Indianapolis Star
A columnist with the Indianapolis Star, Tim Swarens recently completed a 16-month-long project on child tracking called EXPLOITED. The 10-column series was published across the USA TODAY Network, reaching more than 5 million readers. His commentary has been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He has also appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and the BBC. Tim was also the editor or writer on projects that in recent years have won awards from Sigma Delta Chi, National Headliners, Scripps Howard, American Society of Newspaper Editors, and Robert F. Kennedy Excellence in Journalism. He was the 2016 recipient of the Eugene C. Pullman Fellowship for Editorial Writing.
MODERATOR:
Craig Geddes, Senior Program Manager of Education and Protection, Plan International USA.
Craig Geddes has worked in non-governmental development programming, as well as in government relations and advocacy in Washington DC, spending the majority of his career overseas, most recently in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Geddes is responsible for overseeing education and child protection projects funded by Plan International USA donors around the world.
PANELIST:
Fatima, Youth Advisory Board Member (YAB), Plan International USA
Fatima has been a member of Plan International USA’s Youth Advisory Board for about two years. “I joined Plan’s Youth Advisory Board because I strongly believe in its mission to achieve children’s rights and equality,” she said. “After attending the Youth Leadership Academy in 2016, I fell in love with Plan’s work and wanted to get more involved with the organization and share my passion for girls’ empowerment and quality education. Most importantly, I joined the YAB in order to voice youths’ opinions and speak up for those who can’t.”
PANELIST:
Jenny Lewis, Vice President, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation
Jenny Lewis is Vice President of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation. She leads the Foundation’s efforts for global strategy, governance, and financial oversight. Jenny and her team lead K-C’s global CSR agenda, with an emphasis on delivering innovative solutions to systemic issues facing underserved communities, while also delivering business results. She is based at Kimberly-Clark’s world headquarters in Dallas.
PANELIST:
Antonie deJong, Former Director of Resource Mobilization, United Nations
Antonie “Ton” de Jong served as the Director of Resource Mobilization on the Strategic Partnerships Division of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), a position he held from 2010 until his retirement last year. Over his career, he worked for organizations including the United Nations Development Fund for women, the United Nations Population Fund, and the UNAIDS joint program on HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Mr. de Jong also served as a diplomat in the Foreign Service of the Netherlands, working in the Dutch Embassies in Lagos, Nigeria, and Bogotá, Colombia.
For more information about the event or to buy tickets, visit www.planusa.org/girls-belong-here
(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Spirituality, The Arts and Entertainment, and Health and Wellness)