IAAVS is an organization whose primary focus is philanthropy by helping women and chidren worldwide become self-empowered and self-sufficient with the help of non-profit organizations.
IAm AVisual Statement (IAAVS) is excited to share this wonderful news with our supporters. We are supporters of Women for Women International and hope that through our efforts and the efforts of others this exposure will bring even more aide to the women and children in these war-torn countries.The information provided below are excerpts from the Women for Women International newsletter that they released earlier today. The pictures are from the Women for Women International website.
Please share this information with your family, friends, and associates...and tune in on Thursday!
Watch Women for Women International on "The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Thursday, October 1, 2009 to see how sponsors are helping Congolese women rebuild their lives, families and communities.
"Today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo people are still struggling after one of the deadliest wars in all history. Millions died and new conflicts threaten peace every day. But because of your help, there is hope"(Women for Women International Newsletter).
Sponsor and supporter Lisa Shannon, founder of the Run for Congo Women, will speak with Oprah and talk about how her involvement with Women for Women International has changed her life and the lives of thousands of women survivors of war.
"Oprah, inspired by New York Times best-selling book "Half the Sky" by Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn will deliver a call to action to women. This eye-opening hour reveals powerful stories of women overcoming adversity to realize a better life for themselves" (Women for Women International Newsletter).
Spread the Word
This is a great opportunity to share your passion for Women for Women International with your community.
You can post this to your social networking pages and let everyone know that you support us and plan to watch:
Be sure to watch "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Thursday, October 1st, where an organization I care about, Women for Women International, will be featured. Tune-in to the "Oprah" show this Thursday to hear Oprah's call to action and to see how we can actually change the course of history in our lifetime for women and girls around the world.
Today I Am A Visual Statement (IAAVS) Director of Possibilities, Markesia Thomas-Akinbami and Director of Change, Natasha Foreman will be representing the company at two wonderful networking events. Markesia will be at an event hosted by the Atlanta Business League (ABL) and Natasha will be at a Joy Of Connecting (JOC) event meeting with other female entrepreneurs within the Metro Atlanta area.
Both women look forward to sharing IAAVS with other women, businesses, and non-profit organizations to help propel the IAAVS motto and movement..."Take a Stand, Give a Voice, Be a Visual Statement".
Natasha said that the IAAVS movement is about, "...empowering women and girls worldwide with the knowledge and wisdom to know, understand and embrace that we all are Visual Statements and that we can overcome the odds no matter what has happened in our past, no matter what hurdles and obstacles lie in our paths, and no matter what anyone has to say about us. I believe that I will be meeting with like-minded women this evening who will share our passion and will consider hosting events and awareness parties with us and supporting our company through educating the masses and continued purchases."
When asked what she hopes to give and take away from tonight's event, Markesia said, "it will be great to be around other great women, to be inspired by these wonderful leaders and to gain their support for I Am A Visual Statement the t-shirt line, the company as a whole, the message we send, and the causes that we are so passionate about."
It will be nice to hear back from these ladies about their take away from this evenings events!
On October 2, 2009 I Am A Visual Statement will be hosting an social hour from 5:00-7:00pm at the exclusive One Ninety One Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Guests will have a chance to mix and mingle as they enjoy the array of Hor d'oeuvres that will be served.
This fun-filled evening will allow our guests to view and purchase from the IAAVS t-shirt line, and hear about our goals toward philanthropy and self-empowerment for women and young girls around the world. Each IAAVS t-shirt purchased will help towards furthering this great movement.
For those interested in attending please contact I Am A Visual Statement by Thursday October 1st for an invitation at: info@iaavs.com
"Women perform 66 percent of the world's work, and produce 50 percent of the food, yet only earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property," President Bill Clinton said. "Whether the issue is improving education in the developing world, or fighting global climate change, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation."
Reports show that when women and girls are empowered, entire regions see measurable results. This is especially true for economic empowerment- for example a woman is likely to reinvest about 90 percent of her earnings into her family's well-being, compared with 35 percent for a man....Investing in women's health, especially reproductive health, not only saves the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleashes an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year.
For every t-shirt I Am A Visual Statement sells, a percentage of our net profits goes to Women for Women International.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Philanthropy
Main Entry: phi·lan·thro·py
Pronunciation: \-pē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): pluralphi·lan·thro·pies
Etymology: Late Latin philanthropia, from Greek philanthrōpia, from philanthrōpos loving people, from phil- + anthrōpos human being
Date: circa 1623
1: goodwill to fellowmen; especially: active effort to promote human welfare 2 a: a philanthropic act or gift b: an organization distributing or supported by philanthropic funds
Are you practicing your goodwill towards your fellow man, woman and child?
Are you actively making an effort to promote human welfare?
Do you want to find a way to Take a Stand, Give a Voice and Be a Visual Statement so that women and young girls worldwide have the opportunity to become self-empowered and self-sufficient?
The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy opened its doors in 1987 to provide services for children ages 17 and younger who reside or were abused in Dekalb or Fulton Counties of the state of Georgia, at no cost to the children or their families. As mentioned in the I Am A Visual Statement (IAAVS) FAQs section the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy conducts forensic interviews and evaluations, therapy, family advocacy services, multidisciplinary team case reviews, presentations and trainings.
When IAAVS realized the staggering numbers of how many children are sexually, psychologically and physically abused, and at the ages in which abuse first occurs we had to reach out to them to see how we can help. We discovered that therapy and other services were desperately needed by the young girls at the center; so we immediately stepped up to the plate and declared that we would help more children get the much needed help that the center provides by sharing a portion of our net profits with this wonderful organization.
To date, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy has helped over 7,500 children. Visit their site today to see how you can help through donations and volunteer efforts!
I Am A Visual Statement (IAAVS) has received great news...we were provided information about the woman we sponsor through our monthly contributions. She is from Rwanda and we are honored to have the opportunity to help her reach her goals of self-empowerment and self-sufficiency.
For those of you who are not familiar with the history of Rwanda and the impact on the country's women and children, let us share some horrifying facts with you. It has been estimated that roughly 500,000 women and girls were raped, tortured and physically abused during the genocide that began in 1994. The country's population is 70% female with more than half of the households ran by women; 80% of which are widows.
Over 1/4 million children in Rwanda have been made orphans due to AIDS. "Despite the extreme poverty many Rwandans find room in their hearts to adopt as many as 6 orphaned children, treating every child like their own, a mantra of the country and its President, Paul Kagame" (Women for Women International Website).
Due to the strength of the women in Rwanda their ability to finally speak up and speak out after years of silence has led to the act of rape to be prosecuted as a war crime. In 2003, 49% of parliaments seats were filled by women. But these strides don't mean that women are completely free from the effects of war.
We look forward to sharing with everyone more details concerning our sponsored sister (of course protecting her identity for obvious reasons) and her progress through our financial assistance and the guidance of Women for Women International.
For more information on Women for Women International click here
Be sure to visit IAAVS to make t-shirt purchases so that we can continue to help Women for Women International. If you have questions or would like to invite us to an event please e-mail us at: info@iaavs.com
Please note that the pictures displayed in this blog were retrieved from the Women for Women International website.
IAAVS showed up and made a lasting impact at the Collective Renaissance Guild's (CRG) "Speak Out" Marketplace located at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, GA on September 5, 2009. The Marketplace was described by CRG as an event where "The general public will be invited to explore the opportunities for service and social entrepreneurship available through various non-profit organization information booths; hear prominent leaders and personalities "Speak Out" about their cause of choice; get autographs from key authors and artists whose work reflects the mission of change; and contribute their own thoughts on change through our interactive video booth" (CRG). The event was hosted by CRG, the Woodruff Arts Center and The Andrew Young Foundation.
Markesia Thomas Akinbami, Director of Change and Natasha Foreman, Director of Possibilities represented IAAVS at the event. Markesia and Natasha were accompanied by Alexandra Foreman a volunteer who also helped the team at the "Sneak Peek Preview Party" on August 30th.
Before the doors opened to the public at 2pm Markesia and Natasha walked throughout the center and spoke with each and every vendor, in hopes of establishing future relationships. There were approximately 30 organizations represented at the Marketplace and IAAVS was thrilled to be one of them.
Soon after doors opened other marketplace vendors and guests quickly approached asking questions about IAAVS, the tees and how they could get one. Since no sales were permitted within Woodruff everyone was directed to the IAAVS website and encouraged to join our mailing list. We'd like to acknowledge and thank the Examiner, Bold Magazine Online, All Girl Talk Radio, Energy Fit USA, Chec Pro, A Guiding Hand Mentoring Program, and the other media outlets and vendors that showed IAAVS some love.
We had more than 200 people visit our booth and leave with information about our company, Women for Women International and the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (the two charities we support). There were performances by Iasia the "Protedgy Poet", OMG Girlz (the girl group starring Tiny and Toya's daughters), Rock City and Verse and many others.
CRG gave special on-stage recognition to Jamie Foxx for his service in the community; Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Revered Joseph E Lowery presented him with the Phoenix Award. There were plenty of celebrities and personalities in attendance that day including Ambassador Andrew Young, Senator Kasim Reed, Killer Mike, the World Famous Superfriends on the ones and twos, Bryan-Michael Cox and many more!
Markesia and Natasha were photographed and interviewed by various radio, newspaper and magazine reporters, while Alexandra didn't miss a beat as she continued answering questions from participants and making sure that everyone left our booth with IAAVS on their mind.
Power Forum
That evening CRG hosted the Power Forum where Ambassador Andrew Young and Andre 3000 (who couldn't be there) were honored for civic service and artistic innovation respectively.
The Keynote Address was by Killer Mike who received several standing ovations for his empowering words and his passionate call for change.
By the end of the night the IAAVS team was exhausted yet excited about the wonderful feedback we received on our shirts and the high level of interest from the other organizations who would like to work with us in the very near future....we can't wait until our next event!
For more information about I AM A VISUAL STATEMENT visit our website today!
Although it rained on August 30th it didn't stop women from all over Metro Atlanta from coming out and supporting I Am A Visual Statement (IAAVS) at our "Sneak Peek Preview Party". The event started with guests mixing and mingling, listening to the smooth sounds of Sade, Maxwell, Kem, and Ledisi.
The food that evening was beyond delicious. There were plenty of tasty dishes to choose from including a penne pasta alfredo that no one could resist (some of us returned for seconds); a freshly tossed spring salad, a fruit display that had large, plump strawberries and red grapes; and a variety of desserts and beverages. We're still talking about the brownie bites with the caramel topping that was delicately drizzled on top, and the ones with powdered sugar; and who could forget the peach Arnold Palmers...absolute bliss!
As the ladies relaxed and got to know each other better they had the opportunity to be the first to purchase an IAAVS t-shirt. One at a time each woman approached the display table as Director of Change, Natasha Foreman, assisted them with their purchases. Each woman happily walked away with their very own chocolate IAAVS bag and gathered in the next room to hear more about the company and the charities we support....
Director of Possibilities, Markesia Thomas Akinbami welcomed everyone and explained the purpose of IAAVS and the reason for the event. Each woman was invited to be the first purchase a tee and be educated about the two charities that we support; so that they could also be change agents in their community. She then introduced Ms. Yvonne Bryant Johnson representing the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy.
Georgia Center for Child Advocacy
Ms.Yvonne Bryant-Johnson shared with the group startling statistics concerning child abuse and how the center has made strides in helping young boys and girls in the Metro Atlanta area of Georgia. Here are the facts:
* 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
* 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
* 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the Internet.
* Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults)
occur to children ages 17 and under.
* An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.
Even within their own homes, children are at risk for sexual abuse: * 30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
* Another 50% are abused by someone outside the family whom they know and trust.
* Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
* Therefore, only 10% are abused by strangers.
Sexual abuse occurs at all ages, probably younger than you think:
* The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.
* More than 20% of children are sexually abused before age 8.
* Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12.
Women for Women International
Our Director of Change, Natasha Foreman discussed the mission of Women for Women International and their work in 9 war-torn countries including Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Iraq to name a few. She explained how IAAVS works with both the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy and Women for Women International by providing 25% of our net profits to the organizations. Additionally, IAAVS works at educating the public about both organizations and the work they perform domestically and abroad.
Natasha then shared with the group the multitudinous crimes against women and young girls which ranged from psychological abuse to rape, torture and mutilation, sex slavery rings, physical abuse and being used as bait to lure in war enemies. Women for Women International helps these victims with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives.
Natasha explained that IAAVS wants every concerned woman and man to "Take a stand, give a voice, and be a visual statement" and in order to do this, action must take place beyond the purchase of an IAAVS shirt; through educating others and encouraging individual sponsorship of Women for Women International's "sisters" IAAVS believes that we can all join together to propel this movement of service beyond our wildest dreams.
After handing out Women for Women International sponsorship materials, Markesia and Natasha thanked everyone for their support and announced the release of the 3/4 length t-shirt this fall. We then proceeded to mingle until the party ended at 6pm. This evening was an absolute success! Great food...music...women...organizations... and great causes...we couldn't ask for more. A few of us gathered for a quick photo op.
Markesia and Natasha couldn't wait to pose with our IAAVS partner, exclusive photographer; artist extraordinaire and one of the best photographers around (and we're not just saying that because we're biased)...Korey Akinbami of Visual Statements Photography. Visit the site and see for yourself how talented and gifted Mr. Akinbami truly is and then contact the studio to schedule your next session! Keep your ears and eyes open for Korey's upcoming fine art exhibits showcasing his photographic work from all parts of the world. Thanks for everything Korey!
We would like to extend a special "thank you" to those who helped us at our event:
Mamie Nesbit, Danny "DJ" Thomas, and Alexandra Foreman.
For more information about how to volunteer or make donations visit the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy website. For information concerning sponsorship, donations, or hosting educational events visit the Women for Women International website. For more information about IAAVS visit our website.
August 17, 2009 IAm AVisual Statement (IAAVS) picked up their first order of custom-made t-shirts from their printer. It was a day the team had long been waiting for. It was now official…IAAVS was a designer t-shirt line!
They sealed the deal with a photo shoot with professional models...
Markesia and Natasha also modeled some of the upcoming ¾-length styles that will be hitting the market in the upcoming weeks.
Let’s go back to the conception stages…
The Atlanta-based IAAVS’s primary focus is philanthropy; first, by forming relationships with non-profit organizations who help promote and provide services toward the self-empowerment and self-sufficiency of women and young girls worldwide; second, by educating others about the needs of these women and young girls- and inspiring them to take part in giving back to others; and third, by sharing a portion of our t-shirt sales with these organizations to help them reach their goal one dollar and one day at a time.
The vision for IAAVS came from Markesia Thomas who wanted to find a more meaningful way of giving back. For her, selling t-shirts would serve multiple purposes and benefit numerous people all at the same time. It’s rare to find a person, who does not enjoy helping others on some level, and it’s even rarer to find a person who does not wear a t-shirt; so the choice was simple. From that point the focus was on finding the right charities that spoke to the concerns of Markesia, Natasha and the rest of the IAAVS team; two organizations stood out immediately…Women for Women International and the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy.
The hope is that through the relationships that are formed between IAAVS, their customers and the IAAVS charitable partners, individuals worldwide pledge to share with others the great deeds that these two non-profit organizations are doing, while financially and emotionally helping women and children gain self-empowerment and self-sufficiency through these wonderful programs and others.
Where they are now…
August 30th IAAVS hosted a Sneak Peek Preview Party giving their invited guests a chance to see and purchase the t-shirts for the very first time; while also learning more about Women for Women International and the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. Check back to see pictures and more from the party!
August 31st IAAVS joined Face Book.
September 1st they officially launched their website and this blog, and in a matter of minutes of sharing the URL (for the website) with friends, family, and associates orders started rolling in!
What’s coming up…
September 5th come out and support IAAVS at the “Speak Out” Marketplace at the Woodruff Arts Center at 3pm hosted by The Collective Renaissance Guild in partnership with The Woodruff Arts Center and The Andrew Young Foundation. Markesia and Natasha will be representing IAAVS with a booth at the Marketplace sharing with the public what IAAVS is all about, the charities they support and how people can purchase a t-shirt online at: WWW.IAAVS.COM
To learn more about IAAVS, their team, their t-shirts (and to make a purchase) and the charities they support visit their website at: WWW.IAAVS.COM today!
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