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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - October 23, 2007
Kellie Greene Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
October 23, 2007

Orlando, Florida Resident Wins Cash Award To Fund Healing Retreat And Recovery Program For Rape Survivors


(New York, NY, October 23, 2007) Orlando, Florida resident Kellie Greene, 42, is committed to improving the lives of women and their families in her community. Kellie was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. Kellie will apply her award towards expanding SOAR SPA (Speaking Out Against Rape, Something Positive Afterward), her weekend retreat program dedicated to healing victims of sexual violence through therapies for the mind, body, and soul.

As a testament to the giving spirit of the Orlando community, this is the second resident to win an Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund. In June, Sue Plowden received the weekly award for an inner-city cheerleading organization.

After surviving rape in 1994, Kellie focusing on healing and turned her own traumatic experience into an opportunity for personal growth while also helping other victims of sexual and physical violence. She began speaking at universities to educate students about the healing process, as well as how to help and communicate with survivors, and traveled the country assisting law enforcement officers on issues of victim sensitivity.

The side effects of sexual violence are not only physical, but mental, emotional, and spiritual as well. Through her own recovery and interaction with other survivors, Kellie realized that just talking about the experience often wasn’t enough for a full recovery. After her assault Kellie longed to be surrounded by others who understood her, and wished for a place to find solace and concentrate on healing. Kellie’s personal needs inspired her to create SOAR SPA in 2005.

SOAR SPA is a safe place where survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones can find support and recovery. The program combines alternative healing therapies with traditional talk therapy by integrating practices such as meditation, yoga, massage, and art and music into its counseling sessions. The therapy is also designed to help survivors regain their comfort with human touch – often an emotional side effect of victimization – and reacquaint themselves with healthy physical intimacy. SOAR SPA retreats also provide attendees and their families a venue in which to meet others in similar situations and build a support network – another crucial element of recovery. These bonds formed during the retreat have gone on to become life-long relationships.

Believing that healing shouldn’t be a financial burden, Kellie will use her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award to subsidize attendance costs for those in need so they, too, can attend and experience the benefits of SOAR SPA. In the near future Kellie hopes to open a permanent home for SOAR SPA in Orlando. Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Kellie will be able to provide even more victims with a nurturing environment to heal, rejuvenate their spirits, and ultimately, reclaim their lives.

Kellie’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Community Service,” one of three areas the Fund supports. Her proposal met the criteria to clearly present unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including Suze Orman, America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. Kellie’s program is “an inspiring and powerful way to help women overcome and rise above the horrendous effects of sexual violence,” noted one of the Hello Tomorrow Fund judges.

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