Misstropolis | Spirit

After Gloucester: Preventing Teen Pregnancy

2008-07-09T05:17:00-05:00

The high rate of pregnancies and the possibility of a pregnancy “pact” in Gloucester, MA brought teen pregnancy careening into the news. While we may think that teenagers know all there is to know about the birds and the bees the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy says that’s not always the case. And the most important thing parents can do is participate actively in their teenagers’ lives. Here’s how… This June the seaside town of Gloucester, MA made international headlines when High School Principal Joseph Sullivan told an interviewer for Time http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html that skyrocketing pregnancy rates in the school were the result of a “pact” made by a group of students to get pregnant and raise their babies together. This line showed up again and again in news reports: “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were.”

The Treehouse Foundation

2008-06-16T16:32:00-05:00

Judy Cockerton has devoted her life to the children who, in too many cases, the system forgets. As the conceptual and philosophical architect of The Treehouse Foundation, she has built a multi-generational home for foster children and foster families to live together in a web of support. It’s been said that it often only takes a moment for the course of a person’s life to change. For Judy Cockerton - a teacher, a small business owner and a mom - all it took was her husband passing her a newspaper article across the dinner table on an evening in 1988. It was a heart-wrenching story of a 5-month-old baby boy, stolen from his crib in his foster home. It was shocking to her that no one noticed his absence until it was too late. None of the neighbors saw anything. No one heard anything. And she was stunned that no one seemed outraged that this could happen.

Join us to Support Ripples of Hope

2008-06-04T04:45:01-05:00

Join us at Jules Place Gallery 1200 Washington Street in Boston’s South End for a special evening of hot art, cold drinks and warm hearts. Proceeds benefit Ripples of Hope. Read on to learn more. Ripples. One person’s actions move another to act, and another and another, rippling though a community to affect profound change. Powerful examples set by parents start a ripple effect of understanding, compassion and generosity of spirit that last throughout a child’s life. Positive results from projects organized by visionaries in one city ripple through and inspire action in other cities, spreading Hope from coast to coast.

Sparkle: An Event to Benefit Rosie’s Place

2008-05-21T06:00:00-05:00

A dynamic group of women business owners in Boston’s Beacon Hill ‘hood is banding together to keep business thriving during the current economic downturn and to support local women in need, the homeless and poor women at Rosie’s Place. All it takes is one person to make it happen. “If it wasn’t me it probably would have been Cecilia, or someone else.” says Stephanie Wilson modestly, of initiating the upcoming Charles St. food and fashion event to benefit Rosie’s Place. Wilson has brought together businesses from the small, historic Beacon Hill neighborhood for an afternoon celebration of spring, style and supporting women in need. Sparkle - an afternoon fashion show and cocktail party, will feature all Beacon Hill boutiques, all owned by women.

Teaching Science, Building Confidence, Turning the Tide

2008-05-07T03:49:00-05:00

Science Club For Girls is a special program dedicated to teaching girls science. The bigger goal is to confront the nationwide gender disparity in science and engineering occupations. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how crucial this program is. Late in the afternoon, in elementary schools in Cambridge, Newton and elsewhere, small groups of girls make sparks fly and small explosions erupt. They observe how worms wiggle, bubbles pop and seeds grow. They ask a multitude of questions and research possible solutions. These girls are participants in a free after-school program called Science Club for Girls that is open to all girls in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Strong Women, Strong Girls

2008-04-22T22:01:00-05:00

Strong Women Strong Girls is dedicated to building communities of strong, successful women today and supporting the strong and successful women of tomorrow. Lindsay Hyde, its founder, started the organization when she was a freshman at Harvard. That’s right. There’s really nothing strong women and strong girls can’t do when they set their minds to it. Sharing the stories of the inspirational leaders and innovators of today is key to Misstropolis’ MISSion. When we learn of the heights others reach, we are more likely to shoot for the stars ourselves. A young constellation of achievement herself, is Lindsay Hyde, who founded Strong Women Strong Girls when she was a freshman at Harvard. Last year she won the Samuel S. Beard Award, part of the prestigious Jefferson Awards, for “Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Younger.” Previous winners include Peyton Manning, Lance Armstrong, Faith Hill and Steve Jobs.

A Celebration of Women’s Health

2008-04-08T18:26:00-05:00

How much do you know about your body? What about your friend’s - the one going through IVF and your co-worker’s - struggling with cervical cancer? Join Dr. Jonathan Tilly and The Vincent Club to celebrate women’s health, and learn about the future of reproductive health, being changed here in Boston every day. Founded in 1892, following the opening of The Vincent Memorial Hospital the year before, the Vincent Club has raised millions of dollars and helped Vincent Memorial, now the Women’s Care Division of MA General hospital, work toward its dual goals of advancing the field of women’s health and caring for “sick and indigent women.” According to the Vincent Club, Vincent doctors care for more financially disadvantaged women than any other department at Mass General. Now that’s something to celebrate.

Help Protect Victims of Crime

2008-03-24T21:17:00-05:00

"It is our responsibility to provide a space where victims can be safe, where victims and survivors are able to grieve or be angry and wrestle with the emotions that come with being victimized, where witnesses can do their civic duty without fear of intimidation or threats. If we ask people to come to court, this is the least that we can provide for them.” Sexual assault victim testimony, March 4. In 1984 Massachusetts passed the MA Victim Bill of Rights, putting us at the forefront of the growing Victims’ Rights Movement and allowing us to offer more comprehensive support and protection to victims of crimes than any other state in the nation. 24 years later, with few amendments to that law, Massachusetts lags behind most other states. The MA Office of Victims Assistance, or MOVA, http://www.mass.gov/mova/amHome.shtml established in 1984 in accordance with the Bill of Rights, is determined to change that.

LivingConversations - Inspiration from Breast Cancer Survivors

2008-03-12T11:00:00-05:00

Breast cancer is not a death sentence, but its diagnosis understandably frightens the majority of women who receive it. Now they have someplace to turn when their doctors and caregivers are not available - LivingCoversations.com is an inspirational website created by a breast cancer survivor, full of videos telling their own stories of their diagnoses, treatments and lives after breast cancer. Karen Webster knows first-hand how women recently diagnosed with breast cancer feel when they are awake at 3:00 AM - scared, worried and unsure what to do. In 2001 she was one of them. Told she had cancer at age 44, she found herself online in the middle of the night, searching for answers.

Spring Spirit

2008-02-25T04:19:01-05:00

Warm up your soul - plan ahead to attend some of these fabulous spring charity events. Check out these upcoming Don’t Miss Charity Events where you can have a blast while making a difference, whether for kids or animals or women in need.