Archive for the "Press Releases" Category
V-Day Endorses ISNA’s Mission to End Violence Against Intersex
People; Urges local V-Day Productions to Raise Awareness about
Intersex Lives
Contact:
Emi Koyama, Intersex Society of North America
emi@isna.org (preferred) or 503-288-3191(voicemail)
Susan Swan, V-Day
press at vday dot org or 212-445-3288
V-Day’s resolution in support of ISNA’s work can be read here.
January 18, 2002
V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls, announced today its support for the mission of Intersex Society of
North America (ISNA) to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital surgeries on intersex children, or children born with atypical reproductive or sexual anatomies. Currently, the standard protocol
for treating intersex children involves irreversible and risky surgical interventions to make their genitals appear more “normal,” but there is a growing movement among intersex people, allies, and medical professionals to replace these often harmful procedures with
social and psychological interventions.
“We applaud V-Day for taking a stand against unnecessary and unconsentual genital cuttings that are ritually practiced in Western societies, just as they have stood against unnecessary ritualistic genital cuttings in other cultures,” said Emi Koyama, the Program Assistant for ISNA. “I have always respected the work of V-Day on behalf of women and girls, and I am glad to know that V-Day has not left out women and girls born with intersex conditions.”
As part of its commitment to stop violence against intersex people, V-Day is urging participants of its College Campaign and Worldwide
Campaign to raise the awareness about intersex experiences by distributing information about intersex, showing a documentary film, or hosting an intersex speaker during this year’s V-Day activities along with the performances of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” (materials about intersex are available from ISNA). V-Day is also encouraging the more than 500 benefit productions of the play to consider contributing a portion of their proceeds to Intersex Society of North America.
Founded in 1993 by Cheryl Chase, Intersex Society of North America is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to ending shame, secrecy and unwanted genital surgeries on intersex children. For more information about intersex or ISNA, please visit http://www.isna.org/
Sunday Afternoon Discussion Series:
Panel on Women and War to Follow Dec. 16th Matinee of Ensler’s Necessary Targets
Education, Healthcare, Women’s Rights, Refugees, and Culture :
Women Define The Priorities in Brussels Proclamation:
Officials from the European Union, United Nations And Women’s
Rights Activists From Around the World Join in Solidarity and
Support
The December issue of Worth Magazine contains the results of six months of research on the charitable organizations in the United States. In the end, they compiled a list of the 100 best charities in America. V-Day is honored to be among these top 100.
The work continues. With your help, we will stop violence against women and girls worldwide!
You can read the complete Worth article here.
You can make a tax-deductible donation to support the work of V-Day here.
From the table at Bonn to the summit in Brussels, Afghan women lead the way:
Fifty Afghan women leaders to gather at historical Afghan women’s summit in Brussels December 4-6:
World leaders and activists join in solidarity and support.
V-Day Partners With Karen Neuburger to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls Around The World
Contact:
V-Day, Susan Celia Swan, press@vday.org, (212) 445-3288
Karen Neuburger, Erin Bianchi, ebianchi@sleepwear.com, (415) 258-0701
November 8, 2001 – – San Francisco, CA — V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls, and Karen Neuburger, pajama and lifestyle designer, announced their marketing partnership to raise money to help stop violence against women and girls.
V-Day has joined forces with Karen Neuburger in a collaboration that will raise money through the sale of KN’s V-Day pajama. Karen Neuburger’s net proceeds from the sale of the V-Day pajama will be donated to V-Day to be distributed to non-profit, anti-violence groups including rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters. In addition, Karen Neuburger has signed on as a sponsor of the local 2002 V-Day San Francisco event, which is part of V-Day’s Worldwide Campaign and will star, Eve Ensler, on February 12, 2002.
The pajamas were designed to give a global feel to this worldwide concern. The pattern features flowers and swirled script reading: Until the Violence Stops, in various languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Italian, Swedish, German and Indonesian.
Karen Neuburger V-Day pajamas will be available in sizes small to extra-large, and will sell for $62. The pajamas will be available at Nordstrom, Parisian, Dillard’s, Macy’s West and online at www.eziba.com/vday.
About V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence — incest, rape, domestic battery, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery — against women and girls. V-Day promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day helps these organizations to continue and to expand their core work, while generating broader attention for the fight to stop worldwide violence against women and girls. V-Day is also a day – on or around Valentine’s Day in February – for which annual theatrical and artistic events are produced around the world to raise money and to transform consciousness. This annual cluster of events, campaigns, and initiatives (identified as V-Day 2001, V-Day 2002, etc.) include, but are not limited to, the College Campaign, the Worldwide Campaign and the International Stop Rape Contest. To date, Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” has been the centerpiece of these events, the biggest of which was the V-Day 2001 benefit performance at Madison Square Garden. V-Day is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Read more about V-Day at www.vday.org.
About Karen Neuburger
Karen Neuburger is the leading designer of comfort inspired sleepwear, bedding, loungewear, slippers and robes. The KN brand is continuing its comfort trend with the introduction of home fragrances for Fall 2001, including water based room sprays, candles and scented sachets, lotions and scrubs. Bedding is also a new to the KN Collection for Fall 2001, marking the company’s debut into the home arena. Spring 2002 will bring a KN daywear line, which will focus on camisoles, bras, panties, tap pants and tanks. Karen Neuburger’s success in women’s sleepwear skyrocketed after Oprah Winfrey outfitted her entire studio audience for a “favorite things” broadcast. Today, KN products can be found in 2,000 retail doors nationwide, including such better department stores as Nordstrom, Macy’s West, Bloomingdale’s, Dayton’s, Younker’s, Von Maur, Parisian and Lord & Taylor. To read more about KN, log on to the website, www.karenneuburger.com.
Contact: Susan Celia Swan, press@vday.org, (212) 445-3288
HBO Original Documentary of “The Vagina Monologues”, Featuring Eve Ensler, Debuts February 14 – Valentine’s Day
Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, Edie Falco, Rosie Perez, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Kathy Najimy Among V-Day Celebrity Supporters to Adopt-A-City and Appear at a Local V-Day Event
Each year, V-Day supports new campaigns, initiatives and special projects to help in the fight to stop all violence against women and girls worldwide.
In 2002, V-Day is supporting the following programs:
the V-Day Worldwide Campaign
the V-Day College Campaign
the V-Day Youth Monologues Pilot Program
Spotlight on Afghan Women Campaign: While the problem of violence against women is a serious one all over the world, V-Day believes that the situation for women in Afghanistan is at a critical point and is, therefore, earmarking 2002 funds to help the women there.
the V-Day International V-Day Stop Rape Contest: This Contest is an initiative designed to produce innovative and effective strategies to stop rape worldwide.
the Speak Up with V-Day & Lifetime Initiative: This initiative brings the problem of violence against women in the United States to the attention of our Congressional representatives and encourages them to take action.
the Rape Free Zone Campaign: This Campaign encourages people all over the world to mark their communities as “Rape-Free Zones.”
And numerous other events related to V-Day 2002, including: the HBO release of the film version of “The Vagina Monologues” on February 14, 2002, and a gala event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan on February 16, 2002.
While continuing its work on these ongoing campaigns, V-Day is always ready to respond to the unexpected needs and opportunities of the day with creative action. Our work to help organize the Afghan Women’s Summit for Democracy is one such action, taken to support our sisters around the world.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Celia Swan, press@vday.org
, (212) 445-3288
For completed and attempted rapes, nearly 90% of the victims knew the offender, who was usually a classmate, friend, ex-boyfriend or acquaintance. (“The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics, January 26, 2001)
October 11, 2001 – New York, NY – V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, announces today the debut of the V-Day 2002 College Stop Rape Contest on U.S. college campuses nationwide. Modeled on the V-Day International Stop Rape Contest, the U.S. College Stop Rape Contest invites full- and part-time students at any college or university in the United States to devise and submit action plans for stopping rape in their communities. V-Day will select three winners and award them grants so that they can implement their winning ideas in their communities. The strategies to stop rape can be unconventional, outrageous, funny, serious, artistic, improvisational and daring. But most of all, they need to be effective, inexpensive to implement, and non-violent. The deadline for entries is December 15, 2001. More information on the V-Day 2002 U.S. College Stop Rape Contest can be found at www.vday.org/college or obtained by writing to Judy@vday.org.
To complement the V-Day 2002 College Stop Rape contest, students can mark their communities as “Rape Free Zones.” V-Day’s “Rape Free Zone” stickers, body tattoos, and banners will be available for purchase at the V-Day online store (http://www.eziba.com/vday) after October 20th.
Each year, V-Day promotes creative events, within and in addition to its innovative campaigns and initiatives, to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. The full slate of V-Day 2002 campaigns and initiatives will be announced next week. One of V-Day’s signature campaigns and its longest-running is the popular and far-reaching V-Day College Campaign, which features worldwide student productions of “The Vagina Monologues.” Now entering its fourth year, the College Campaign is encouraging wider participation. “230 schools participated in the College Campaign last year, and we’re hoping to triple that number, bringing participation up to 690 this year,” says Karen Obel, Director of the College Campaign. More information about the College Campaign – what it is and how to join it – can be found at www.vday.org/college.
About V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a palpable energy, a fierce catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day helps these organizations to continue and to expand their core work, while we generate broader attention for the fight to stop worldwide violence.
V-Day is also a day – on or around Valentine’s Day in February – for which annual theatrical and artistic events are produced around the world to raise money and to transform consciousness. This annual cluster of events, campaigns, and initiatives (identified as V-Day 2001, V-Day 2002, etc.) include, but are not limited to, the College Campaign, the Worldwide Campaign and the International Stop Rape Contest. To date, Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” has been the centerpiece of these events, the biggest of which was the V-Day 2001 benefit performance at Madison Square Garden.
The money that passes through V-Day and that is raised on its behalf comes from individuals, corporations, foundations, product and book sales, and benefit and commercial performances of “The Vagina Monologues” and is directly donated to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to end rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery. V-Day is non-profit.
Contact:
V-Day, Susan Celia Swan, press@vday.org
, (212) 445-3288
Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Katrina Markoff, katrina@vosgeschocolate.com
, (773) 772-5349
HELP V-DAY STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WITH YOUR PURCHASE OF VOSGES HAUT-CHOCOLATS
October 5, 2001 — – New York, NY — V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls, and Vosges Haut-Chocolat, the exotic truffle maker, today announced their partnership to raise money to help stop violence against women and girls.
In its first-ever marketing partnership, V-Day has joined forces with Vosges Haut-Chocolat in a collaboration that will raise money through the sale of Vosges fine chocolates. Starting today, 25% of sales from Vosges’ “Sophie’s Boîte à Chapeau” will be donated to V-Day to be distributed to non-profit, anti-violence groups including rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters. In addition, during the month of February 2002, Vosges will donate $1 of each purchase of their truffle boxes to V-Day.
“Vosges is a women-owned and operated company and we are thrilled to be able to be part of the solution to help stop the terrible violence that women and girls face every day,’’ said Katrina Markoff, Founder and CEO of Vosges Haut-Chocolat. “Women are huge consumers of chocolates and now they can help anti-violence organizations with their chocolate purchase.”
“V-Day was founded as a creative way to raise money to end violence and to support women throughout the world,” said Willa Shalit, Executive Director of V-Day. “We are thankful to Vosges Haut-Chocolate for providing such a creative and delicious way to raise funds to stop violence against women and girls. This partnership truly reflects V-Day’s mission to empower through innovation. Gift giving, especially around the winter holidays and Valentine’s Day, always feels good. But now giving the gift of safety feels even better!”
Vosges Haut-Chocolat is available nationwide at www.VosgesChocolate.com
or by calling 888.301.yumm. They are also available at select Neiman Marcus and Dean & Deluca retail stores around the country.
About V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence – incest, rape, domestic battery, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery – against women and girls. V-Day promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day helps these organizations to continue and to expand their core work, while generating broader attention for the fight to stop worldwide violence against women and girls. V-Day is also a day – on or around Valentine’s Day in February – for which annual theatrical and artistic events are produced around the world to raise money and to transform consciousness. This annual cluster of events, campaigns, and initiatives (identified as V-Day 2001, V-Day 2002, etc.) include, but are not limited to, the College Campaign, the Worldwide Campaign and the International Stop Rape Contest. To date, Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” has been the centerpiece of these events, the biggest of which was the V-Day 2001 benefit performance at Madison Square Garden. V-Day is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Read more about V-Day at www.vday.org.
About Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Vosges Haut-Chocolat exotic truffles are hand-made from the finest ingredients, all personally selected by Chocolatier, Katrina Markoff. Markoff utilizes traditional methods of French confectionery artistry that she developed studying in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu. The small, European-style truffles are all made with a blend of Belgium and French chocolates infused with an array of rare spices and flowers from various regions around the world. The result is an explosive, sensory experience in the mouths of the beholders. Vosges Haut-Chocolat offers a line of truffles unlike any other in the world. Start your journey in Budapest where our dark chocolate truffle is finished with sweet Hungarian paprika; then move to France, where the Viola envelopes french tradition, its creamy milk chocolate body is topped with a sparkling violet; travel on to India with the Naga, a milk chocolate, coconut truffle that has been infused with Northern Indian curry; then traverse to Japan where a delicate blend of ginger and wasabi can be found in the Black Pearl; continue south to Australia where decadent macadamia nut praline, coconut and milk chocolate is declared the Woolloomooloo; end your journey back home tasting the southern charm of a Mint Julep, mint leaves, dark chocolate and silver leaf. All truffles are creativity packaged in Vosges Haut-Chocolat signature purple gift boxes and in unique Asian boxes with simple wood chopsticks. Katrina Markoff and Julie Lang, started Vosges Haut-Chocolat in January 1998. Today these two entrepreneurs remain the sole, female proprietors of the brand.
About Sophie’s Boîte à Chapeau
Sophie’s Boîte à Chapeau is an elegant hatbox filled with exotic truffles, couture cocoas and ‘haut-chocolat.’ Each hatbox is hand crafted by an artist who signs and numbers the bottom of every Boîte. Vosges Haut-Chocolat exclusively created this limited edition print of only 1000 pieces. The box is filled with: 16 pieces of the Exotic Truffle Collection, 9 pieces of the Aztec Truffle Collection, 1 pound of Caramel Toffee, 2 Sophie Bars, Aztec Elixir, Parisienne & Bianca Couture Cocoas and Le Cordon Bleu chocolate tiles.