LUNAFEST: February 23rd and 24th

• The 10th Annual National Touring Film Festival − LUNAFEST®: Short Films By, For, About Women® − is coming to Hood River!

This fundraising film festival, dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, highlighting women filmmakers, and bringing women together in their communities, will be hosted by Soroptimist International of Hood River and Mt. Adams at Columbia Center for the Arts at 215 Cascade in Hood River on February 23 and 24.

• Showings are scheduled for 6:00 pm and 8:15 pm each day, with pre-show wine events at 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm.

• Tickets are available at Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River and Sterling Bank in White Salmon. Advance purchase of tickets is advised.

This unique film festival highlights women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine short films by women filmmakers. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women’s health, motherhood, body image, aging, cultural diversity and breaking barriers. Visit www.lunafest.org for details and a sneak preview!! Please call 503-637-0361 if you have any questions.

Locally, 15% of the proceeds from LUNAFEST will go to the Breast Cancer Fund and 85% will be used for the community service projects sponsored by Soroptimist International of Hood River and Mt. Adams.

Soroptimist is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls. The local clubs work toward this goal by raising funds to assist organizations such as Helping Hands, Next Door and Programs for Peaceful Living, and by providing scholarships to assist women in improving their skills and education.

Thus far, LUNAFEST, which is created and funded by LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women®, has raised over $360,000 for Breast Cancer Fund and over $570,000 for other women’s non-profit organizations.

FREE MOVIE SCREENING FEB. 3RD IN THE DALLES!

At today's weekly SIHR meeting, we learned about a newly-formed group in The Dalles: Half the Gorge Sky, a group of women who have come together with a mission very similar to that of Soroptimists, improving the lives of women worldwide. They were inspired after a book club reading of "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". In the interest of public awareness and education, Half the Gorge Sky inviteS everyone in the community to a FREE screening of the film, "A Walk to Beautiful," an Emmy award-winning story of healing and hope for Ethiopian women devastated by childbirth injuries. The film follows the story of 5 women, who as a result of their injuries are abandoned by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, undertake the long journey to reclaim their lost dignity and self-worth.

This FREE screening is this Thursday, February 3rd, 6:30pm, at the Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Building 3, Room 302.