ReleaseWire Connect

Public officials, businessmen and students “stepped-up” and walked in women’s high heel shoes through Downtown San José to raise awareness regarding the issue of sexual assault in our community. The YWCA Silicon Valley Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® takes a light-hearted approach to the very serious issue of sexual assault and calls attention to these staggering statistics, 1 out of every 6 American women and 1 out of every 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

The year 1984 brought enforcement of the amended Equal Pay Act so women could earn the same pay as their male counterparts for the same work. Also that year, the YWCA Silicon Valley began shining a spotlight on women leaders in industry who broke those barriers. Nearly 30 years later, women executives will be honored in the YWCA’s Tribute to Women and Industry, (TWIN) Awards program.

Carlos and Paula were an ordinary couple living in the Rose Garden section of San Jose. They were admired by neighbors, friends and family as successful entrepreneurs owning several restaurants in the area. Nobody noticed that they had men and women living in their garage, carefully guarded and forced into restaurant work for no pay.

The YWCA Silicon Valley today announced that Leandra Peloquin, Director of the YWCA’s Rape Crisis Center, is leaving the organization after over 10 years of employment. The Center was established in 1973; its mission is to minimize the traumatic aftermath of sexual violence and to promote freedom from abuse by working to change a culture of lingering patriarchy that serves as the foundation for oppression and gender violence.

The YWCA Silicon Valley will host its YWCA Silicon Valley 22nd Annual Luncheon event on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The event serves as a major fundraiser with proceeds going to support the programs and services of the YWCA Silicon Valley. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Six-time Olympic Medalist, Motivational Speaker and Founder, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, will be the keynote speaker at the event. “We are delighted to have Ms. Joyner-Kersee speak at this year’s luncheon,” said Keri Procunier McLain, CEO of the YWCA Silicon Valley. “We are pleased to present a woman who channeled her talents into becoming a world class athlete, then channeled her commitment to others to become a leader in the philanthropic community.”

The YWCA Silicon Valley is proud to announce that it recently welcomed several new board members: Sharada Bose, R&D Management, Hewlett Packard; Joyce Chuang, Marketing and Business Development Coordinator, Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP; Nora Denzel, Senior Vice President, Big Data, Social Design and Marketing, Intuit, Inc.; Neysa Fligor, Deputy County Counsel, County of Santa Clara; Maryanne Flynn, Director of Operations, Cisco Systems; Susan Franzella, Executive Human Resources Management, Kaiser Permanente, San Jose Medical Center; Jessica Garcia-Kohl, Director of Development & Public Affairs, The Housing Trust; Sandra Jewett, Principal, Vinci Park School; Jayashree Rangarajan, Director, Software Development, Xilinx and Barbara Wakefield, Hewlett Packard (Retired), Community Volunteer. Keri Procunier McLain, Ph.D., the YWCA’s CEO states, “The caliber of these women will tremendously assist in the YWCA’s efforts of fulfilling our mission to empower women and eliminate racism in our community. We feel privileged that these women have chosen to invest their time, talent and resources in the YWCA!”

The YWCA Silicon Valley will host its 10th Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® on Wednesday, April 18,2012. This year’s Walk a Mile event is led by event co-chairs Larry Stone, (County Assessor of Santa Clara County) Jeff Rosen, (District Attorney of Santa Clara County), Chris Moore (City of San José Police Chief), William McDonald (City of San Josè Fire Chief), and Pete Decena (San Josè State University Police Chief). Community leaders, businessmen, students and residents will walk one mile in women’s high heeled shoes through Downtown San José to bring awareness and raise funds for sexual assault services provided by the YWCA Rape Crisis Center.

The YWCA of Silicon Valley will host its' 21st Annual Luncheon event on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, from 11:00 pm to 1:30 pm, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The event serves as a major fundraiser, with proceeds going to support the programs and services of the YWCA of Silicon Valley. Dee Dee Myers, Former Press Secretary to President Clinton and NY Times Best-selling Author of Why Women Should Rule the World, will be the keynote speaker at the event.

On April 27, 2011 men will walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes through downtown San Jose to protest rape, sexual assault and gender violence. This 9th annual event, held each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month brings together male community leaders, businessmen, and residents to walk (in women’s shoes) from Plaza de Cesar Chavez through the streets of downtown San Jose to raise sexual assault awareness in our community. The YWCA Silicon Valley organizes the event and provides the women’s shoes. Women are encouraged to join the walk as supporters and advocates.

Forty-six outstanding executive women from Silicon Valley will be honored by the YWCA Silicon Valley, May 3, 2011 at the 27th Annual Tribute to Women (TWIN) Awards Program at the San Jose Fairmont. The YWCA Silicon Valley’s TWIN Awards Program honors not only women who demonstrate excellence in executive-level positions, but also the companies that employ these women.