Ms. JD Raises $13,000 to Support Its Global Education Fund: Enables Six Women to Attend Law School

Aug. 9, 2012 - PRLog -- Ms. JD hosted its first annual cocktail benefit on Friday, August 3 to raise money for the Global Education Fund (GEF), which enables women in developing countries to pursue legal educations.  The highlight of the event was a feature video of the GEF scholars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLjJ8leYm6A

The event attracted more than 150 guests and was held at trendy Gallery 4N5 in SOMA. It featured a silent auction, live entertainment, a raffle, life-size Jenga and other games.  The event raised over $13,000, which will allow the GEF to continue expanding its reach to additional scholars in the coming academic year. “We were overwhelmed by the support we received on Friday night,” event co-chairs Elizabeth Pederson and Neha Shaw reported. “Educating women is vitally important to creating a better world, and it is rewarding to give people an opportunity to make a very real difference in the lives of our scholars.”  

The GEF is an international extension of Ms. JD’s commitment to women’s education and advancement in law. “Ms. JD empowers women in the law to reach the true heights of their careers by addressing the barriers to advancement that still exist in our profession,” said Ms. JD President, Katie Larkin-Wong,  “We are incredibly proud that each of the GEF Scholars reflects that mission on an individual level.  They demonstrate a very deep commitment to serving their country, supporting one another, and encouraging other women to pursue their own legal educations.  They give us great hope for the future.”

Currently, the GEF partners with Makerere University in Uganda, where more than 45% of women over the age of 25 have no schooling, and men are more than twice as likely as women to have access to higher education. The funds raised last Friday will enable six young Ugandan women to pursue their dreams of becoming lawyers by attending the law program at Makerere University during the 2012-13 academic year.  To view pictures from the event or to make a donation to support the GEF visit: http://www.ms-jd.org/gef.