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Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

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News Blog

The Women Deliver 2013 Conference: Empowering Women Around the World

by Vicki Escarra

Since joining Opportunity International I have traveled around the world to support our programs and meet some of our 5 million financial services clients in the developing world who have been able to work their way out of poverty after receiving support and training from Opportunity International. Seeing the faces and hearing the voices of the women and children we are helping is always incredibly uplifting—like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve have seen the power of one woman and the impact…

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The Greatest Investment We Can Make

by Shannon Leutheuser

Shannon is a Young Ambassador for Opportunity and a member of the YAO Advisory Board. As a working mom with two amazing young children, I can say without hesitation that there is no greater joy in my life than caring for my children. My life revolves around their every need – making sure they are well-fed, well-dressed and thriving in every way. Like many mothers I know, I serve them more food than they could ever eat and rarely refuse a request for dessert. I fuss over their every runny nose and…

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How Far Would You Go To Alleviate Poverty?

by Vanessa Felts

Last October, my good friend and Opportunity Governor Deyl Kearin ran 155 miles across the hottest desert on the planet. In support of his pursuit, he started Run4Poverty to raise awareness and sustainable funds for people in impoverished circumstances. Not only did he complete one of the toughest endurance events out there, he raised over $42,000 for Opportunity International. Many people in Deyl’s community and those who followed him on his journey were inspired. They were inspired by the strength…

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Growing a Family Small Business

by Ally Lynch

Francisco and Fidel Aleman are brothers working together to run a wood artisan business that has been in their family for the past 15 years. They were initially taught the trade by their “abuelo” Jose Jacinto Aleman. Jose is now 95 but still hangs around their workshop during the day. Through partnering with Opportunity Nicaragua for the past 2 years as part of the Artisan Community Program, Fidel and Francisco have been able to export their products out of Nicaragua. Because of this, they have…

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Quantity Isn’t The Only Challenge to Ending Hunger

by Heather Rubacky

Heather Rubacky is the Opportunity International College Ambassadors Coordinator and recently participated in the Live Below the Line challenge. I love food. I love eating food, making food, sharing food, even just talking about food. It provides me with more than just basic nourishment; it’s my go-to stress reliever, pick-me-up, and icebreaker. I cater friends’ cocktail parties. I measure my exercise in terms of treats earned. And despite my mother’s best training, I constantly play with my…

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Lessons from Mom

by Julia and Erin Smith

Julia and Erin Smith are both Young Ambassadors for Opportunity. They were introduced to Opportunity International by their mother, Governor Jill Smith. Erin is currently fundraising for Opportunity International at https://www.opportunity.org/give/fundraisers/erinandmichael It was Christmas morning and I was eager to open all of the presents to get to the final envelopes in the tree. In our family, we always save any envelopes in the tree for last… the envelopes are often our biggest gifts; they…

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It Was a Fortuitous, Fateful Introduction

by Natalie Hornsby

It was a fortuitous, fateful introduction. The kind of moment where you can trace things back in time and see how every decision you made along the way lead you to this perfect, precise place. The sort of moment that reaffirms that things really do happen for a reason. That’s how my mom and I felt when we shook hands with Opportunity. Years before, my mom and I had spoken about starting a foundation. We were sitting outside in Colorado by a fire, when someone started playing Blackbird by the Beatles…

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Hopes for my Baby Boy

by Mari Gottlieb

Mother’s Day may be over, but the stories of strong Moms continue. The following post is from Mari Gottlieb, a Young Ambassador for Opportunity and Co-Chair of YAO-San Diego. I am expecting my first child this summer, a baby boy named Hunter. As I await Hunter’s arrival, I spend hours each day thinking about the endless possibilities and my hopes and dreams for him. Will Hunter have my freckles? Will he share my husband’s passion for math? I hope that Hunter will be healthy, that he will have…

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Celebrating Women Helping Women

by Deborah Bowker

This weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day and the women in our lives who love, nurture, and empower us to reach our full potential. At Opportunity International, we recognize the remarkable power of one woman to change the world. That’s why we founded the Women’s Opportunity Network, a community of dynamic trailblazers, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists committed to helping Opportunity International empower women to improve their lives, strengthen their families…

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Opportunity International’s Staff Celebrates Our Moms

by Ally Lynch

This Mother’s Day, Opportunity International’s staff is joining the Invest in One. Honor Mom. campaign to celebrate the important women in our lives. We’ve honored our mothers, sisters, wives, friends, and mentors – even our 4 legged friends joined in to create tributes patches! Here is a glimpse at Opportunity International’s Mother’s Day messages. To HopeDear human mom . . . I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful things you do for me. Feed me – really good people food, walk…

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