Robert Crown Center for Health Education (RCC) realizes this necessity and is planning the ideal day for girls in fifth through eight grades and the important women in their lives. Happy to Be Me! is a celebration of female relationships and an opportunity to help build the confidence of preteen girls.
Special Events Coordinator Barb Thayer led the charge to bring a mother-daughter event back to the Center calendar. Barb speaks with fondness of the American Girls Fashion Show events of the past and says, “We wanted to develop something focused on kids and a mother-daughter event is a natural fit for us.”
Chief Development Officer Jered Pruitt explains this natural fit: “It relates to our preteen classes on body image.” Many students are surprised to learn how heavily manipulated images can be and find some comfort in side-by-side displays of the same model shown in a snapshot and in a retouched image.
Barb adds, “This idea really struck a chord with the moms, and it turned out to be one of our easiest committees to put together.” With more than 25 mothers and their daughters involved, plus some teen girls with a strong interest in the subject on the committee, it is a big group with a lot of enthusiasm.
Women’s health writer and body image expert Leslie Goldman will build on what RCC teaches by presenting a relevant and relatable program. Leslie’s presentation will help girls and women navigate media messages, feature confidence-boosting tips, and offer a fresh perspective on feeling good about you at any age. Leslie speaks on body image issues to groups of up to 2,500 at colleges and universities all over the country. Audiences appreciate her wit, insights, and ability to fuse personal testimony and interactive media images to advocate for people to love their bodies.
She is a frequent guest on the TODAY Show, discussing everything from her first book, Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth About Women, Body Image, and Re-Imagining the “Perfect” Body, to the true proportions of a Barbie doll’s body.
Leslie is looking forward to returning to RCC. In 2006, she keynoted the kickoff event for the Center’s “Express Yourself” body image program. Her lighthearted approach to serious subjects is an ideal match for this age group. “The goal is for the
adults and children to learn together and emerge from the day with a better understanding of how body image impacts a person’s well-being,” Jered says.
Over a healthy lunch, attendees will have the chance to chat about the topic of the day with interesting conversation starters and activities designed to facilitate the all-important bonding. There will also be suggestions for activities to do together after the day is over.
Boutique shopping and a heads or tails raffle with either a cash prize or donated item will add to the excitement of Happy to Be Me!
Interest in the event has been high—with the first request for tickets arriving in the office 10 minutes after a “save the date” email was sent. Gather up the important women and girls in your life and make the most of a special day just for the ladies.
Mothers and daughters on the Happy To Be Me! Committee
Front row: Mary Ann Clark, Nikki Hilbrich, Katherine Brose, Delaney Leibforth, Jackie Blake, Sydney Thayer, Sue Hilbrich, back row: Mary Claire Arbor, Becky Arbor, Sue Brose, Chris Blake, Katherine Leibforth, Amy Habeck, Molly Bruns, Nancy Neiman, Madison Neiman, Katie Mueller, Special Events Coordinator Barb Thayer
Happy to Be Me! is Saturday, February 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets are $50 each. For more information, contact Barb Thayer, Special Events Coordinator, at 630-325-1900, extension 235; or [email protected], or visit robertcrown.org.
– Michelle Crowe
