Congrats Darrell!

 

Congrats Stephanie!

It was great to be back after the holiday break! Our speaker tonight was Mike James, President of the Simi Valley Education Foundation. The mission of the Simi Valley Education Foundation is to bring together community and civic entities in providing additional resources to students in Simi Valley’s public schools through student scholarships, classroom and department/grade level grants, and providing resources for our youth. Through community support, program development, and collaboration, the Foundation seeks to strengthen our public schools and the education they provide to our children. Mike explained some of the events they have going on this year to raise money and awareness. He also mentioned a few of the resources they provide to the schools. One in particular was, what I'm calling, a learning shirt -- the shirt had a code on the front that a mobile app can translate into an interactive, human body, learning tool. See picture below. This is just one example of the tools the Foundation can provide.

 

For more information about the Simi Valley Education Foundation, visit: svef.org

 

Tonight's speaker was Stacy Jewell, a writer, director, and Human Trafficking Survivor. At age 19 she was abducted and forced into the dark world of sex trafficking. After being held captive for almost two years, she was liberated from the violence and abuse of the sex industry. Presently, she is an internationally recognized survivor leader in the human trafficking movement. The first part of her presentation, she did a live performance of a poem she wrote. The poem told her story and what she had been through. It was a very moving, but sad story. And to think that her situation happens on a daily basis in our own backyard. She went on to explain an organization that she is launching in the next few days:  Jewell Survivor City Radio Podcast -- an avenue to create more public awareness of Human Trafficking.