JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL TO RECEIVE RUBY AWARD

Portland, OR – Soroptimist International Northwestern Region along with many other agencies will come together to host the annual Northwest Conference Against Trafficking on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at the Red Lion Hotel on the River in Portland, Oregon.

It was announced today that the Soroptimist Ruby Award will be given to HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell by two Northwestern Region clubs, Soroptimist International of Southwest Washington and Vancouver. A notable television news journalist, Jane Velez-Mitchell is the host of the TV show “Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell” which airs on HLN every night at 7p.m. eastern and 4 p.m. pacific. Previously, Jane reported for the nationally syndicated Warner Brothers/Telepictures show "Celebrity Justice." She also frequently guest hosted for Nancy Grace on her widely watched HLN show.

The Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women (formerly the Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award) acknowledges women who, through their personal or professional activities, work to improve the lives of women and girls. The work of these women helps to promote the issues that are important to the Soroptimist organization. Honorees are ordinary women who have worked in extraordinary ways to benefit women and girls. Examples of the type of work honored include: spearheading an effort to open a domestic violence shelter, starting a mentoring program for at-risk girls, or lobbying companies to provide on-site child care. The program enables local Soroptimist clubs and the Soroptimist organization to thank these women and encourage others to explore ways to assist women and girls.

The program begins on the club level, where the type of recognition varies. Award winners at the club level are eligible for additional awards at other levels of the organization. The finalist receives a $5,000 donation to the charity of her choice.

Women who are improving the lives of other women or girls through their professional or personal activities are eligible for the Soroptimist Ruby Award. These women have identified and focused on a need in their communities, which has significantly contributed to the improvement of women and girls’ lives.

Past Making a Difference for Women recipients have included: domestic violence expert and advocate Elaine Weiss; former U.S. Congresswomen Patsy Mink and Patricia Schroeder; novelist and former district attorney Linda Fairstein; Princess Diana; former child actor and U.S. Ambassador Shirley Temple Black; former Philippines President Corazon Aquino; and marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Velez-Mitchell will accept the prestigious award on January 9, 2010 at the Northwest Conference Against Trafficking in Portland, Oregon. Anyone interested in attending the conference can visit the website for registration information at http://www.nwcat.org/.

Velez's Book - an Honest Life!

I recently purchased the book iwant by Jane Velez-Mitchell and must say this book is "addictive." I find myself at 2am still not wanting to put it down, not because Jane explores and invites you into her personal space but rather because the common factors are parallel with my own personal journey of where I have been and where I am going.

I have not personally had a substance addiction (unless you count the many medications over the years that have helped me to be mobile from rheumatoid arthritis. From chemo type drugs to DMARDS, there has been many but without the addiction side effects) problem, but I am a child of a recovering alcoholic, my mother’s painful and destruction years have been a difficult one, however hearing and reading Jane’s book has allowed me to see [from an addict’s perspective] just what my mother has gone through to get to where she is today; three years sober!

I am still getting to know this beautiful woman [my mother] that for almost forty years of my life I really never knew. See, the bottle was always more important than I was to her. The lifestyle we lived, the cars we drove, the weekend trips to the Bahamas, the luxury of International travel and designer clothing always seemed to be the norm in our lives; but the status of celebrity, the status of our postal address, and the status of the company we kept only were the future products of a disaster waiting to happen. Growing up in our house (in an elite neighborhood on the inter coastal waterways of Fort Lauderdale) a young girl always had everything she could ever want…but did I?

Jane’s journey is no different than most of our lives, but until you know who you are and where you are going and why, you may think you are in a different class (for better or worse), but I encourage you, go get this book and read with an open mind and allow yourself to really understand what our purpose on the earth is all about. As Jane’s mom Anita says “The body is like soap. It gets used up.” You and only you can determine how quickly your body and soul will be used up. Stop blaming others for how things went in life and focus on how to pave the road that will take you on the journey you are destined for.

I went the local bookstore to purchase Jane’s book with the intent to help another family member with his deep alcohol addiction, but as with most things on my journey, when I have always set out to help others (indirectly or with intent) I seem to be the recipient of a beautiful gift; in this case, setting out to help an in-law actually help me to understand the struggles my mom has gone through and how lonely and in pain my mother actually was; which today, makes me even more grateful for the journey my life has taken this past year…back to having my mom in my life.

Take the time and pick up a copy of the book today, you too will have a better picture looking back in the mirror at you as I did. Kudos to Jane and I am looking forward to reading the remainder of the book!

Buy your copy today: http://www.janevelezmitchell.com/

Voices for Justice: Kidnapped #3

VOICES FOR JUSTICE: KIDNAPPED Part 3

National, USA – Helping Heroes will host a BlogTalkRadio “Voices for Justice” this coming Wednesday, September 30, 2009 6-7:30p.m. (Pacific Time).

Join us for KIDNAPPED: Part 3; Mothers, Grandparent’s, Sisters, and Friends Speak Out! Amber Dubois (14 years old), Lindsey Baum (11 years old), Brittanee Drexel (17 years old), Jamie Grissim (missing since 1971), Trenton Duckett (2 years old), Haleigh Cummings (5 years old), and many others are still Gone but not Forgotten…their loved ones need your help!

Please go to www.blogtalkradio.com/helpingheroes for more information. Listeners can call-in on Wednesday by calling (347) 838-8622.

Upcoming Shows:
Human Trafficking, Looking Beyond the Surface at Modern Day Slavery
Media Divas Making a Difference on Television & in their Communities

###