The Atlanta Women's Foundation (AWF) will host its 11th annual Numbers Too Big To Ignore luncheon on Thursday, October 25 at Noon at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year, AWF is engaging one of the nation's leading advocates for women's empowerment - Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis - who is known not only for her award-winning performances, but also for her widely-acclaimed children's books and as a proponent of healthy body image among women.
As part of the Numbers luncheon, Curtis will focus on the choices that often challenge women and the importance of making good decisions at critical milestones. The luncheon will also feature a dramatic performance by Dr. Johnetta B. Cole and a special dance performance by the Carol Walker Dance Company.
This year marks the Foundation's second decade of hosting this signature luncheon and, as such, AWF is spotlighting the key "numbers too big to ignore" concerning the empowerment of metro Atlanta women. A recent report by the Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies on the "Status of Women in Atlanta" revealed the female population of the AWF service area grew by 70 percent between 1990 and 2005, and the number of female headed households in metro Atlanta grew faster than for the U.S. as a whole.
"We understand that, when an investment is made in women and girls, lives are advanced, families are strengthened for generations to come and the entire community benefits," says Deborah Richardson, CEO of AWF. "The fact of the matter is, where women are concerned, there is good news and bad news. The good news is: women have experienced progress in many areas, including increases in home ownership and in political and corporate leadership roles. The bad news is: gender gaps persist in the areas of education and income that threaten to thwart future progress for women and girls."
Demographic shifts in the concentrations of younger and older women and in female heads of households reinforce the importance of addressing the most pertinent economic, educational, and physical and mental issues impacting women and girls today
