<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Dear Peacelisters:<br><br>I am hosting an exhibition of my photography from Ecuador on the Thursday the 16th and Friday, the17th of September at <i>Indi Go Gallery</i> in downtown Champaign. If you are reading this, it is because you are very dear to me and it would mean a lot to me if you could be there. The exhibition is a collection of photographs of the women I had the privilege of working with in Cotacachi, Ecuador. They were activists, community teachers, self-proclaimed '<i>feministas</i>', and mothers. They want a better world for themselves and their daughters and sons. And to resist violence and promote peace, they launched a<i> movimiento de mujeres</i> where empowerment was women-run and <i>el feminismo</i> was a way to articulate compassion.<br>
<br><i>More information about the exhibition</i>:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Rachel Storm is the founder and director of <i>Four Walls and a Roof Project</i>, a grassroots organization that, working alongside organizations in Cotacachi, Ecuador, seeks to establish the first battered women's shelter in the andean region of western Imbabura. Working to raise awareness of issues faced by indigenous Andean women and the grassroots efforts of women to resist violence, Rachel has worked to support Andean women in the project establish a network to combat the prevalence of sexism and gender-based violence and the establishment of the women's shelter. In the spirit of knowledge-sharing, Rachel had documented the work of her Andean colleagues in a traveling photography exhibition entitled "Carichina Women." (Carichina is a Quichua word meaning "a woman who does not fulfill her womanly duties.") In providing a visual lens through which women of color feminist organizing in Cotacachi can be shared, Rachel hopes to highlight the profound efforts indigenous women are making to resist violence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Please join me on <i>Thursday, September 16th 6-9pm</i><sup><i> </i></sup><i>or Friday, September 17</i><sup><i>th </i></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; "><i>6-10pm </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; ">for the VIP and General Openings of the “Carichina Women” exhibition. The exhibition is located at: Indi Go Gallery 9 East University Ave. in downtown Champaign.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; "><br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; ">Wine will be served and I will speak about the work in Cotacachi that women are doing to resist violence. There will be no cover charge, but donations are encouraged. I’ve attached the exhibition postcard so you can read more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Your presence will mean a lot to me</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">. I hope you can attend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Warmly,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Rachel Storm</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; ">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">P.S. If you can't make it to the exhibition, but would like to make a donation, you can donate here:<a href="http://www.fourwallsandaroof.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 65, 112); ">www.fourwallsandaroof.org</a></span></p>
<div><br></div></span></font><br>-- <br><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#000099"><div><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#000099">_____________________________________________</font></i></font></div>
<span style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif">Kind regards,</span><br style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif"><br style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif">
<span style="font-size:large;color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif"><b>Rachel Storm </b></span><br style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif"><span style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif">Program Coordinator, Illinois Women's Resources Center</span><br style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif">
<span style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif">The Women's Resources Center, University of Illinois</span></font></i></font><div><font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099">Student Affairs--Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations<br>
703 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL 61820<br>MC-302<br>(217) 333-3137 (office phone)<br>(217) 244-3167 (fax)<br>(630) 677-7219 (cell)<br><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?ref=ts" target="_blank"></a></font></font></i></font></font><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?ref=ts" target="_blank"><font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099"></font></font></i></font></font></a><font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?ref=ts" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/7254/Facebook_icon.png" width="19" height="19"></a></font></font></i></font></font><font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?ref=ts" target="_blank">Be</a></font></font></i></font></font><font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/pages/Champaign-IL/University-of-Illinois-Womens-Resources-Center/164120746133?ref=ts" target="_blank">come a fan of the Women's Resources Center on Facebook!</a></font></font></i></font></font><br>
<font face="garamond, serif"><font face="'times new roman', serif"><i><font color="#3366ff"><font style="color:rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:times new roman,serif" color="#000099"><br><br><span style="color:rgb(255, 204, 102)">"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx</span><br>
</font></font></i></font></font><font face="garamond, serif"><br><br></font><br></div><br>