The Weber State University chapter of the American Association of University Women came together on Nov. 24 to make blankets for the Your Community Connection Family Crisis Center.
“We are tying blankets for the YCC, and with that we are watching a film called ‘Iron Jawed Angels’ which is about women gaining the right to vote in America,” said AAUW President Kylie Peterson. “AAUW has done this activity for a couple years now. We always have a different film and a different number of participants, but to donate to the YCC every year has been something that our club has held very close to our hearts.”
Peterson said the AAUW is a national club that includes people in local communities and college campuses that promotes education, rights and safety for women in college.
The movie shown during the event, “Iron Jawed Angels,” stars Hilary Swank and Margo Martindale and is based on the 1917 Women’s Suffrage movement that eventually led to women in the United States gaining the right to vote. “Iron Jawed Angels,” was originally shown at Sundance Film Festival in 2004.
Communications majors Janna Green and Emily Orozco were at the event, helping to tie blankets while enjoying the movie.
“I actually heard (about) it from Janna,” Orozco said. “And we’re both in a psychology for women and gender class and we’re required to do some service that has something to do with women, so we decided to volunteer here.”
Green said she reached out to the women’s center for help finding some way to complete her required service project.
“I was emailing the women’s center and asking them about events that we could help out at, and this one seemed to be a good event and worked out well with our schedules, so we decided to come out and help,” said Green.
The blankets that were tied at the event will be donated to the Your Community Connection Family Crisis Center in Ogden. According to the YCC’s website, for 69 years the organization has been, “dedicated to saving and changing the lives of individuals and families in our community.” The YCC offers services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through its domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center to victims and their children.
Despite a small turnout at the event, Orozco said she felt that the event went very well.
“Any amount of help helps,” Orozco said.
