Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Marvin Jones, New York Jets Retired Football Player Mentoring Children

We are excited to announce Marvin Jones, New York Jets retired football player will be mentoring children (grades 6-12) of our single mother families attending BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Conference May 9, 2015. The first 25 families to enroll in BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Program will attend our conference for free, applications must be postmarked by March 30, 2015.

Marvin Jones is one of the finest linebackers in the history of college football. A stunning combination of speed, strength, and instinct, Marvin was such an intense competitor that opposing offenses all but conceded running in his direction. Marvin became the first Florida State University (FSU) player to capture two national awards in the same year when he earned both the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Lombardi Award as the nation's top linemen and went on to become a 3-time all American and Hesiman candidate while leading his team to an amazing record of 32-5.

Marvin was a first round draft choice in the NFL, it was the highest a FSU player had ever been selected in the NFL draft. He played 11 seasons with the New York Jets and started all 80 games of his last five seasons. Marvin ranks third in Jets’ history with 1,200 tackles (811 solo), notching eight 100-plus tackle seasons. For all his contributions on the field Marvin was recognized with several MVP awards and honored as team Captain and selected as a 1st team All Pro in 2000.

Most recently Marvin was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame, selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary Football Team and the NFL presented Marvin with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is unique among NFL honors. It is the only NFL award that recognizes a player for his community service activities as well as his excellence on the field.

For information about enrolling in BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring  Program please email info@thewarfordfoundation.org or call (301)  292-6034 and leave a message.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

One Billion Rising Global Campaign To End Violence Against Women

One Billion Rising Global Campaign To End Violence Against Women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST WOMEN #VETSRISING SET FOR WASHINGTON D.C. ON VDAY

Operation 2.2 Million Raises Awareness About Military Rape, Sexual Assault, Military Justice Improvement Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  An initiative titled, Operation 2.2 Million, signifying the nation’s more than 2 million women veterans at large, sets to bring attention to the military rape, sexual assault, and harassment epidemics plaguing military services, and service academies, with a #VetsRising 11a.m. Saturday, February 14 in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Military sexual trauma, or MST, is the descriptor used to denote incidents of rape, sexual assault, harassment, and the impact of retaliation, isolation and stigmatization within military units, that often occurs after reporting the crimes to unit commanders. Victims report the aftermath is often more traumatizing, than the sexual trauma itself.

Outcry by men and women survivors has inspired reforms in recent years, including the introduction of the Military Justice Improvement act, by N.Y. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Veteran advocacy group VET USA, spawned this first #VetsRising initiative, as part of the One Billion Rising Global Campaign to end violence against women, reaching out to women veterans nationwide.

“Now is the time, for women veterans to join women around the world, across the U.S., and on college campuses, to stop violence against women,” said Ms. Colleen Bushnell, VET USA founder, and president, who herself was a victim of rape and sexual assault, while working at Lackland Air Force Base in 2004.

“We couldn’t be more optimistic about President Obama’s statement at the Grammy’s and the launching of the ‘Its On Us Campaign’ to end sexual violence on college campuses,” she said. “The #VetsRising clarion call is imperative because women veterans have been fighting for real reforms for decades. The conflict of interest that exists for victim and accused in local chains of command, are too significant to overcome. The MJIA takes the important step of taking the justice process out of not legally trained, local-unit commander’s hands.”

Ms. Veteran America Competition, Maryland non profits The Next Chapter Corporation, and The Warford Foundation, Inc joins the group, during the Break The Chain smart-mob dance, in front of the memorial, as well as several activists, authors, and national women-veteran lead service projects. 

“President Obama gave the DoD one year to significantly improve military culture, and response to these crimes. The deadline has passed, and the burden has not been met,” she said. Citing the most recent survey commissioned by the DoD, through the Rand Corporation, which indicated the number of prosecution of felony crimes has gone down, while the number of servicemembers who report fear of retaliation has increased.

Bushnell said the group remains committed to advocacy until Senator Gillibrand’s MJIA is passed into law. The MJIA’s fundamental component is requiring the DoD to handle reporting, investigation, adjudication and prosecution of most felony crimes outside of the local unit chain of command. The law garnered a majority vote in the Senate last year, but was filibustered by Senate Republicans lead by Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective is an intergenerational group of women the Washington D.C., and surrounding areas, who come together in the sisterhood of the drum. Founded in 2008, and led by Drumlady Kristen Arant, the BBRC performs tightly sewn compositions of polyrhythms on West African dun-un, and djembe drums, complete with exciting breaks, contagious songs, and dancing. The BBRC performs to celebrate unity and diversity, and to spread the joy and healing power of West African drumming to the community at-large.

For additional information please contact:
VET USA President and Founder #VetsRising Creator Ms. Colleen Bushnell, U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. (Ret.), colleen.bushnell@gmail.com Cell: 832-706-5610

MST Advocacy Media

Helpful VET USA links:
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