Moving Mountains 2008 a great success!

With the beautiful backdrop of the mountains just west of Denver, folks enjoyed great food, conversation and an informative lecture and discussion with Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. With a great mix of support from teachers, students, parents and other members of the community - 150 enthusiastic guests in all - there was certainly lots of lively discussion! Jean engaged the audience with her thought provoking comments on today's media and the commercialization of our youth. Highlighting themes from her recent novel, So Sexy, So Soon, Jean was able to connect with the audience as she candidly shared personal stories of raising her own daughter and about the extensive research she has done on media literacy. Many members of the audience even shared their experiences of talking with their children about the issues they face and also sought advice from Jean. Thoughtful, insightful and provocative, Jean's inspiring discussion really showed the connection she shares with The Women's Wilderness Institute with regard to the importance of strengthening self-esteem and confidence in girls.

The Women's Widerness Institute is proud to announce the great success of the evening's fundraising efforts that raised over $23,000 for our Girls' Wilderness Program and Women's Wilderness Recovery Retreats! Included in that amount is $6,175 in scholarship funds going towards a special matching grant announced the evening of the event. A group of Foundations and individuals have joined together to create a pool of dollars for a challenge grant. Until December 31, 2008, any donation you make to The Women's Wilderness Institute will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to an amount of $19,000! Many thanks to the Argosy and Brett Foundations, the Triton Fund, and Leadership Donors Liz Armstrong, Louisa Jornayvaz, Brad Armstrong and Julie Dolin for this generous matching gift! To be a part of this exciting challenge and help us reach our goal, please feel free to donate securely on our website or give us a call at 303.938.9191!

Thanks to everyone for making this a special evening and for supporting The Women's Widerness Institute! The evening's success can be attributed to our committed Board Members, our helpful volunteers and all the guests in attendance! Thanks also to Jeannie Ritter for offering a heartfelt and passionate introduction of Jean and to Glen Delman for his beautiful photography work capturing the excitement of the evening. For more fascinating information about Jean, please visit her website at www.jeankilbourne.com. We look forward to seeing you next year for another successful and fun Moving Mountains Event!