January 1, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Boston Women to IGNITE the NITE on January 27th
Local women organize a fundraiser to give teen girls in the Boston area the opportunity to use their voice for positive change.
Boston, MA. January 1st, 2011 — If you could, what would you change? This is the question that Boston GLOW’s IGNITE Change Essay Contest asks of its contestants, but for five local women, the question took on a whole new meaning.“Women consist of ½ the world’s population, perform 2/3 the world’s work hours, make 1/10 the world’s income and comprise 70 percent of the world’s poor,” says Leah Moschella, founder of the local non-profit Boston GLOW. “Today in the United States, only 17 percent of elected officials are women. Only 1 country in the entire world has more than 50% female elected officials. How can you not look at those statistics and see a dire need for change?” Boston GLOW actively empowers women in Boston, and one of their efforts is the IGNITE Change Essay Contest. To raise scholarship funds for the contest, GLOW has tapped several other local women to organize a fundraiser.
“The incredible thing about this event is that it showcases women coming together to support teen girls who are struggling to be heard,” says AC Gaughen, a young adult writer with a debut novel expected in early 2012. And the ladies are doing it with flair--the January 27th event IGNITE the NITE is being held in Elevin Studios in Fort Point Channel, featuring a silent auction and live performance by Boston band City of Squares.
“People have been so ready and eager to support IGNITE Change,” say AC. “It’s incredible to know that we, as young women, are creating a climate of positive change for the next generation.” And the support has been incredibly strong. Boston area businesses of every kind have donated items for the silent auction, from gift certificates from the likes of the Eastern Standard, the Melting Pot, and Boston Beer Works, to original artwork by local artists, to donated items from Good Morning America studios, Brattle Book Shop, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Emily Copeman, the Director of Fundraising for the event, couldn’t be happier with the response so far. “If IGNITE Change can help even just one young female writer make her voice heard, through mentorship and a college education she might not otherwise have, I will consider the event a huge success.”
Moschella agrees. “What most people don’t realize is that we all have the power to change our lives and the lives of those around us. The biggest changes start small, and this is a great start.”
Tickets for IGNITE the NITE are available on Eventbrite.com; to support IGNITE Change and Boston GLOW, go to BostonGLOW.org.
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Boston GLOW is a local nonprofit that strives to empower women. Founded in 2010 by East Boston resident Leah Moschella, Boston GLOW fosters opportunities for women of all ages to become empowered community leaders and active world citizens. Through two specific program areas--Girls’ Leadership (GL) and Organized Women (OW)--GLOW strives to provide pragmatic programming, leadership training, and service-learning opportunities.
Contact: Boston GLOW, Leah Moschella, 59 St Andrew Road, East Boston, MA 02128 lnmoschella@gmail.com
AC Gaughen is a young adult author whose first novel will debut in 2012 in addition to numerous freelance writing credits in print and online, including several stories published in Chicken Soup books. She has a MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Contact: AC Gaughen, 29 Accord Pond Drive, Hingham, MA 02043 617.820.8644 acgaughen@gmail.com
