CLEARFIELD – A V-Day Campaign is a catalyst for mobilizing women and men in a common goal. In 2010, the campaign will see events take place right here in Clearfield, Centre & Jefferson County.
The goal of the campaign is to heighten awareness about violence against women and girls, and V-Day 2010 marks the beginning of a large venture for Central Pennsylvania.
The goal is to establish an everlasting fund with the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation for the beneficiaries of the campaign. These include the Community Action Crossroads Project and Passages.
While it is the hope to raise money for these groups, the campaign members seek to raise awareness to stop violence against women and girls. Through these goals, the five-year plan of the campaign is to provide for a home with immediate shelter and counseling for victims of violence in Clearfield.
V-Day 2010 Clearfield County takes into account a small geographic area, but by one community playing a small part, a global community is created. In 11 years, the V-Day movement has raised over $70 million. In this larger setting, V-Day can continue the mission to empower women to find their collective voice, and to demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world.
The events that comprise V-Day 2010 Clearfield County are numerous. Organizers are preparing events ranging from a benefit production of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, “The Vagina Monologues,” a large raffle, a Red Shirt Campaign and many more.
Hailed by The New York Times as “funny” and “poignant” and by the Daily News as “intelligent” and “courageous,” “The Vagina Monologues” dives into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences. Ensler has performed the play to great acclaim throughout the world — from Zagreb to Santa Barbara, from London to Seattle, from Jerusalem to Oklahoma City. Villard books/Random House first published “The Vagina Monologues,” which includes a foreword by Gloria Steinem, in February 1998.
Performances of the play, held in conjunction with V-Day 2010 Clearfield County will be held Feb. 12 at Over the Mountain in Rockton (583-5575), Feb. 20 at The State Theatre in State College (272-0606) and Feb. 27 at The Reitz Theatre in DuBois (375-4274) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and can be reserved by calling the location of the desired performance.
Actors participating in the monologues hail from various communities throughout the region. The cast list includes Jess Bush of DuBois ,Mary Beth Geppert of Clearfield, Deb Grieve of DuBois, Kris Haenes of DuBois, Cherryl Husted of DuBois, Trish Kavelak of Clearfield, Julie Lynch of Clearfield, Phyllis Lynch of Clearfield, Mandy Rauch of Clearfield, Lisa Rutherford of DuBois, Morgan Scoggins of Philipsburg, Kim Snyder of Clearfield and Dawn Walls of Clearfield.
The committee is also planning other events:
–The Clothes Line Project distributes clothes baskets to local businesses women’s restrooms. Committee members will be decorating the bathrooms with testimonials and V-Day 2010 information. Women will be asked to write brief testimonials on T-shirts, pillow cases, sheets or jeans (ONLY) and to leave a donation. Clothes lines with the donated items will be prominently displayed in town one week prior to “The Vagina Monologues” performance.
–Taking Back the Night: Participants will meet at midnight after each performance. Women will gather with candles to hear three testimonials from three local women. The candle-lighting trilogy will wrap up with a saunter through town. Donations will be taken for the candles. This is an ‘A WAKE Forum’ (Women Advocating for Knowledge and Empowerment): Small groups will hear from and join in a discussion with speakers for 15-20 minutes before coming together into a large group to reflect on the conversations and presentations. The midnight candle vigil through the local streets in red clothing will be the presentations.
-Red Shirt Campaign: The committee will invite everyone who has been affected or knows someone who has been affected by violence against women to wear red on V-Day (Feb. 12, 20 and 27 – V-Day 2010 Clearfield County performance dates). Team members may have special T-Shirts to sell.
-$100 Ticket Sales: Deb Grieve, member of Cultural Resources Inc., will be organizing people to sell $100 raffle tickets. Each $100 ticket is a chance to win $2,500. Two large prizes will also be given to those in the second and third places.
-Volunteers will also place Wish-List Boxes in local businesses to collect items on “wish lists” for those displaced by domestic violence. Items such as shampoo, soap, diapers, toothpaste and deodorant will be collected.
The Valentine’s Day V-Gift will be ask local flower shops to offer customer donations of $1 for every order and delivery on Valentine’s Day
Any and all donations, businesses and volunteers are welcome to join the committee in the cause to stop violence against women and girls in Clearfield County.