Ten Thousand Villages Celebrates Women In March

(Friday) February 19, 2010

In honor of International Women’s Day (March 8), Ten Thousand Villages, located at 915 King Street in Old Town Alexandria, will donate 10% of the sales on Sunday, March 7 to the Alexandria Office on Women’s Domestic Violence Program. Ten Thousand Villages Alexandria has been raising money for the Office on Women since 2007.

Explains store manager Kate McMahon, “Commemorating Women’s Day in this way reminds us that we all have much more in common than we do differences, and because most of our artisans are women, all purchases on March 7 will actually do ‘double-duty’ – they will help women in Alexandria and provide essential income to women in the developing world.”

Claire Dunn, coordinator of the Alexandria Domestic Violence Program, said the fundraiser will be especially helpful this year. “Unfortunately, violence against women and children tends to increase during periods of economic stress, and while we’ve made tremendous progress, especially in educating men and women to the dangers of abuse, the economy puts extra demands on all our staff and volunteers,” she said.

International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909 in New York as a way to improve the working conditions of women and girls in industrialized countries around the world. Its popularity grew during World War I, and today organizations from the United Nations to local unions and charities participate in IWD events and programs.

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