Laurie Plessala Duperier, Bethesda, MD
I have been interested in domestic violence issues for many years and have worked as a pro bono attorney representing abused women during much of my legal career. In 1999, my husband and I moved to Asia for me to take an assignment with one of Altria Group’s companies in Hong Kong. There were so many wonderful things about the Asian culture and people that we fell in love with, but there was one profound disappointment—the shocking treatment of women and girls in many countries. While the issues of gender discrimination and violence are certainly not limited to Asia—indeed, we have them right here in the United States—it was the first time in my life that I was exposed to the brazen and public nature of forced prostitution and human trafficking. Especially disturbing was the plight of young girls who find themselves “sold” by their families into a life of prostitution and misery. The devaluation and subjugation of women in some of these places was far beyond anything that I had seen while living in the United States and was a real wake-up call about the desperate situation that many women and girls are born into, and from which few escape.
When I returned to the United States in 2005, I spoke to the Altria corporate contributions department about putting me in contact with a domestic violence-oriented organization in Washington, DC to see if there was a way that I could help alleviate the problem. Altria has been a significant contributor to Tahirih’s work for years, and given my particular desire to try to help women from other countries, the company put me in touch with Tahirih. I am now on the Board of Directors and am so proud to be associated with an organization full of such committed individuals who work every day to change the lives of the very courageous women who find their way to Tahirih.
Like many people, I contribute to several different charities throughout the year, each with a wonderful mission and great people working to achieve that mission. However, I single out Tahirih to receive my largest annual financial contribution for several reasons. First, I know first-hand as a Board member how every dollar is stretched to provide the best legal and social services to our clients. There is no end to the creativity of the staff in making every contribution count. Second, Tahirih is built on and infused with hope. While dealing with the most horrible and difficult situations that life can bring a person, our clients still have hope. Everyone on the staff shares the hope that we can, and do, make a difference in helping people build a new life. Third, I know that I could not personally do what the staff does every day in terms of dealing with the profound pain of our clients. But, I can financially contribute to enable them to do the important work that they do, that I cannot.
It is not often that one has the opportunity to “save a life.” I can’t think of anything more important and wouldn’t pass up the opportunity for anything.
Become a LifeSaver
The legal cases of the women and girls we serve are complicated and time-intensive claims that require legal staff time, client calls, meetings, and court hearings. It costs Tahirih $5,000 to advocate for just one woman or girl fleeing gender-based violence. Yet, when you consider the alternative of a woman or girl being forced to return to face certain violence or even death, the cost of their protection seems like very little.
You can make a secure donation now as a one-time gift or in installments. For more information, please contact us at development@tahirih.org.
