Alvarez to speak at Harper on benefits of women's program

Henya Pappas knows right where she'd be without Harper College's Women's Program: Curled up in a ball, not knowing how to make ends meet. The 49-year-old Mount Prospect resident was in the midst of a rocky divorce when she turned to Harper's program; she emerged with scholarships, a solid academic path and newfound self-esteem.

"It's huge to have that support and direction and guidance," says Pappas, who's since graduated and landed a nursing job, "and, most important, someone telling you that, yes, you can do it."

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez will address the impact of programs like Harper's particularly amid a down economy that's driving more women to seek help at a reception scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the College's Wojcik Conference Center Dining Room.

Alvarez, Cook County's first Hispanic and first female State's Attorney, also will discuss the continued rise of domestic violence in Chicago and the suburbs and the value of education and support resources in helping women get back on their feet and move forward.

"Anita Alvarez has made it her mission, as we have, to give hope to those who desperately need a helping hand," said Catherine Brod, Executive Director of the Harper College Educational Foundation. "Our Women's Program supports students in their toughest moments, and everyone attending this reception has played, and continues to play, a critical role in making that happen."

Harper's Women's Program provides career planning, tuition help, life skills and education support to single parents, displaced homemakers and others most of whom are domestic violence victims. Enrollment in the program reached 550 students in 2009-10, up 60 percent from two years earlier. The program for years served about 350 students annually.

In 2009, amid state funding cuts, Harper's Foundation launched the 100 Influential Women campaign aimed at pumping $100,000 $1,000 or more at a time into the Women's Program. Nearly 60 donors have answered the call and will be honored at the reception. The event also will formally dedicate the Women's Program in honor of major donors Rita and John Canning.

"We are strong believers in empowering women to soar to great heights," said Rita Canning, a Harper College Trustee and Chair of the Palatine-based Women In Need Growing Stronger (WINGS) Board of Directors. "For many women, Harper College makes this possible, by offering the support, resources and as importantly the confidence they need."

Donations to the campaign have supported Women's Program scholarships and the creation of a domestic violence prevention faculty fellows program allowing faculty from across the campus to incorporate domestic violence awareness and prevention information into their curriculum.

In addition to Alvarez's remarks, the reception will include comments from Canning; Women's Program Director Kathleen Canfield; Harper College President Dr. Ken Ender; Associate Professor Joan Carlson, a Domestic Violence Faculty Fellow; and Michelle Olsen, a Women's Program student and scholarship recipient.

In 2008, the state cut the grant that funded Harper's programs and others like it in Illinois. Harper's Women's Program is now one of only a few of its kind remaining in the state. To donate to the 100 Influential Women campaign or for more details on the Women's Program or other support opportunities, call (847) 925-6490 or visit harpercollege.edu/giving.