INSPIRING AND EMMPOWERING WOMEN AND GIRLS TO LIVE THEIR LEGACY

Featuring Patti A. Smith, Founder/Executive Director of Living Her Legacy, Women of Fort Collins

Empowering women and girls is multifaceted and can take many forms. Patti Smith has held many roles and worked in a variety of fields throughout her career, but has seen each position as an opportunity to assist and empower others. 

Patti Smith is known in the Fort Collins Colorado community for her women’s advocacy work. She has advocated for women and girls through the Zonta Club of Fort Collins. The Zonta Club of Fort Collins supports programs and projects that support women in the Fort Collins area and globally through advocacy, service, and scholarship opportunities. For instance, The Zonta Club provides birthing kits to women in Uganda through a partnership with Think Humanity, a non-profit organization who works in Uganda. Other issues Patti and the members of the Zonta Club work to address include ending violence against women and girls, climate change, and gender equality. The Fort Collins chapter Patti Smith is a part of is a member of Zonta International, an organization that has been advocating for women for over 100 years around the world. 

In addition to her work with Zonta International, Patti Smith is the Founder and Executive Director of Living Her Legacy Fort Collins, an art and education project that highlights the contributions of women to the Fort Collins community. The exhibition which is located in Old town Square Fort Collins features portraits of 48 women who have ties to Northern Colorado. The purpose of the exhibit is to not only educate the community about the great contribution of women but to inspire and empower other girls and women. Patti Smith’s vision for this art installation and the work of Living Her Legacy is to inspire “Women and Girls to Create Their Own Legacies.” 

Patti Smith’s advocacy for recognition of the accomplishments of women and empowerment of women is inspiring. Even before her work with the Zonta Club of Fort Collins or Living Her Legacy Fort Collins, Patti was actively involved with supporting girls and women. She spent twelve years teaching high school students, many of whom were girls and young women, connecting them to the health profession. Throughout her time in education and in the healthcare arena she interacted and worked with women and girls from various walks of life such as women who had been raised within refugee camps and who had eventually come to the United States with their families. Her love and passion for supporting and empowering young women from underserved populations grew out of these experiences with women and girls from vulnerable populations.

Patti Smith’s work to raise awareness of the contributions women have made and to inspire future generations of girls and women has made a tremendous impact locally and globally. Her work and her accomplishments as a woman and for other women is in itself an inspiration.

EMPOWERING AND EQUIPPING THE PERSECUTED

Featuring David Curry, President and CEO of Open Doors USA

David Curry’s career has been focused on addressing the human rights of vulnerable populations around the world. In his current capacity as President and CEO of Open Doors USA his work is focused on empowering and equipping the persecuted church while advocating for religious freedom for all. Religious freedom, in the context of his work at Open Doors USA, means the freedom to believe, the freedom to not believe, and the freedom to change beliefs. 

Open Doors USA as an organization focuses on serving persecuted Christians around the world, focusing on more than 60 countries. This work is vital as more Christians are suffering for their faith than any other time in history. This fact is not widely known which is why Open Doors USA’s work and David Curry’s work on behalf of those who are persecuted is vital. Open Doors USA is perhaps most recognized for their annual World Watch List which ranks the top 50 nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian. For the year 2022, the five most difficult places in the World to be a Christian are (1) Afghanistan, (2) North Korea, (3) Somalia, (4) Libya, and (5) Yemen. David Curry, as President and CEO, is committed to sharing the stories of the persecuted church with key leaders in Washington D.C. as well as throughout the United States which raises greater awareness of the suffering of Christians worldwide. 

While serving as CEO of Open Doors, David Curry has had the opportunity to travel to regions of the world where the religious freedom of Christians is endangered. During these travels he has worked to help those who are targeted for their faith as well as to raise awareness of the persecution these communities experience. 

In addition to his work with Open Doors as President and CEO, in 2022 David Curry was appointed to serve as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal government entity that was established by Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom around the world. As a Commissioner of USCIRF, David Curry has a platform to make foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress to prevent religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief throughout the globe. 

Prior to working with Open Doors USA, David Curry worked to empower other vulnerable populations through his work with organizations such as The Rescue Mission and the Foundation for Grace. He is also the author of four books: First Aid for Enablers, It’s Not How Far You Fall It’s How High You Bounce, God Plays Golf, and Change Your World. 

David Curry’s work has been dedicated to ensuring that people everywhere should have the freedom to worship and live out their religious beliefs peacefully without fear of government interference, cultural pressure, or other forms of persecution. The freedom to believe or not believe is the most fundamental human right. His work as CEO of Open Doors USA is vital and has helped further the religious freedom of countless individuals around the world.