Boulder Quest Hosts E3 Event: Empower, Educate and Effect for Oct. Prevent Domestic Violence month

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 13, 2009 -
Mary A. Casey II, a third degree black belt and co-founder of the Boulder Quest Center (www.boulderquest.com), knows about women’s self defense and believes in offering her skills back to the community. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Casey is offering her dojo for free to
host a series of events open to the public to support women’s empowerment, education, and to positively effect change in the world.

Events will take place at 1200 Yarmouth Avenue (1/2 block east of Broadway) in North Boulder will include a women’s yoga class at 9 am, a women’s self defense seminar from 4-6 pm, and a Think Humanity fund raiser starting at 9:30 am with jewelry made by refugee women living in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) in Uganda, available throughout the day.

“We are honored to have the Boulder Quest Center serve as a venue for community service to empower, educate, and positively effect the world,” said Casey, whose offers a free women’s self defense seminar every quarter which are well attended by Boulder County women. The October 24th training will arm women with responses to the most common attacks, teach de-escalation techniques, and demonstrate how to prevail over bigger attackers.

Boulder yoga instructor Hollie Hirst will lead a yoga class open to all women, with a special invitation to survivors of domestic violence. Poses will be oriented to help women connect with their power and for stress reduction. Hirst is certified with the Yoga Alliance and teaches a vinyasa-flow style class. She regularly volunteers to teach yoga and does advocacy work at Boulder’s Safe House Alliance for Progressive Non-Violence. Yoga attendees are invited to bring monetary and household donations, e.g. clothes, toys, books, etc. for Safe House families.

Loveland’s Boulder’s Beth Heckel, founder of the Colorado-based non-profit Think Humanity (www.thinkhumanity.org), will also participate in E3 Day. Heckel will be selling jewelry made by women living in African villages where 100 percent of the proceeds will go back to Think Humanity projects for women in the UNHCR refugee settlement camps.  “The Boulder Quest Center event is helping women have an empowered response to domestic violence and this is a good fit for Think Humanity,” said Heckel. “We are dedicated to creating a positive change in the world by helping refugee girls and orphans from war-affected countries. We assist girls in Kyangwali Refugee Camp in East Africa who have been victims of gender bias and violence. One of Think Humanity’s projects is to help the girls with malaria prevention and treatment, rent, food, and to receive a quality education.” In sub-Saharan Africa, a child under the age of five dies from malaria every
30 seconds. Think Humanity materials will be at the Boulder Quest Center starting at 9:30 am.

Members of the press are invited to attend. Female members of the press are invited to participate in the self defense class.