New Mexico Kids! May June 2017

continued from page 18
“They sew generously and selflessly for
hours at a time,” Glidden said.
Ultimately, Women To Be hopes to establish
sewing centers in the countries it serves and
begin charging a modest fee for the kits, creating
jobs and making the whole endeavor more
sustainable. Glidden is applying for a Rotary
International grant to sew 2,000 kits in Nepal.
For now, funding for the trips Glidden takes
to deliver the kits comes from donations and
fundraisers such as the group’s recent Pads to
The People event and silent auction. Each kit
costs about $36 and last up to three years.
Glidden also has a mission here at home –
she wants to raise awareness and get more
people involved. “We have sisters out there,”
she said. “When we raise the quality of life
for a girl no matter where she lives, we elevate
the quality of life for everyone on the
planet.”
Thirteen-year-old Sophia and 11-year-old Olivia Zamarripa are helping
Christine Glidden in September 2016 with Guatemalan girls
in a classroom, showing off their kits. Also pictured are
Natalie, a young woman who used her “dummy’ to demonstrate
how the kits work, and Eugenia, a nurse educator.
Courtesy photo.
her do just that. The sisters volunteer to
help with fundraisers, and Sophia handles
social media for Women To Be.
“Here in America we’re so fortunate,”
Sophia said. “Helping these girls in other
countries is a real life-changer. I love the
idea and I really want to help these girls.”
Their parents also are on board. Mom, Lori,
said she was shocked to learn about the conditions
in rural villages. “I see my daughter’s
faces in the faces of these girls,” she said.
Dad, Xavier, is an artist and volunteered on a
HELPS International medical assistance trip to
Guatemala. Glidden also was there and
Zamarripa was inspired and now wants to
take his daughters along on a future trip.
Glidden said she wants all girls and
women to know they can do anything.
“Anything is possible. If you really want to
do something, you can do it,” she said.
For more information, visit women2be.org.
Albuquerque
Kevin Lange Photography
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20 New Mexico Kids! May/June 2017