8/13/2019 Elevate to benefit JFS Shalom Bayit programand the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa

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October 14, 2013 Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Page 13

Elevateto benefit JFS Shalom Bayit programand the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa

By Ilana Belfer

The Jewish Federation of

Ottawa has partnered with

Sheri Chiprout via its open

Ottawa micro-grant initia-

tive, to present Elevate, a

series of two events.

The purpose of the two

events is to raise funds and

awareness for the Shalom

Bayit program at Jewish

Family Services, which as-sists Jewish women who are

exeriencing, or have experi-

enced, domestic abuse, and

for the Sexual Assault Sup-

port Centre of Ottawa.

The nameElevatecomes

from the idea of elevat-

ing love for the cause, or

e-LOVE-ating and brings

that heightened love, em-

powerment message, said

Chiprout.

The first event, a colour-

ful gala, will be held Octo-

ber 17 at Mercury Lounge,

and will feature DJ Acro,

a hula-hoop performance,tarot readings, henna tat-

toos, nosh, prizes and a Live

HArt wall courtesy of artist

Kate Durie.

On November 24, a yoga

soire will attempt to get

an intimate group of yogis

flowing and grooving for a

flow class and meditation at

an unlikely locale: Orange

Art Gallery, where there will

also be an AcroYoga demon-

stration.

Ive been thinking for

a while about how I real-

ly need to give back to the

community and be charita-

ble, Chiprout explained.

Chiprout, 37, an office

manager for Scholars atYour Service, has put on

fashion shows in support of

the Ottawa Regional Cancer

Foundation.

That explains Elevates

party aspect.

The yoga aspect comes

from her near-decade of per-

sonal practice.

Its done a lot of great

things for my life, she said.

Ive dealt with anxiety

disorders and stuff like that

in the past, so just getting

into the world of yoga and

meditation has helped me

in achieving peace of mindand being a kinder person

and a happier person, and I

really believe in the benefits

of it.

Chiprout said shes al-

ways felt strongly about

body-positive womens

empowerment, and that it

should not be hindered by

the threat of sexual violence.

More people than we

know are impacted by it.

Lately, Ive just had one too

many people I care about say

that things have happened

[to them], said Chiprout,

who took to her blog sher-

imuse.com to write: Cant

wait to raise the OM-azing

energy in this room for theSexual Assault Support Cen-

tre and the beautiful women

they support.

Online, Chiprout is

known as Sheri Muse,

which she said goes back to

when she was younger and

often joked about wanting to

be a muse because it sound-

ed so romantic.

What started as a way

to maintain a shred of an-

onymity in cyberspace has

evolved into a brand based

in four principles: Create.

Connect. Care. Collabo-

rate.Chiprout said connec-

tions ensure the success of

events, and Elevate is apt

to connect several commu-

nities, including the Jewish

community.

Connection and en-

gagement, was one of the

criteria she met in order

to receive a micro-grant

from the Federations open

Ottawa Innovation Fund,

which targets members of

the emerging generation to

make venture-level invest-

ments in their innovative

programming ideas. Anoth-

er was tikkun olam.

Sheris events are not

only unique and creative,

but they benefit a demo-

graphic of women in Ottawa

who are not given enoughattention, said Samantha

Banks, the Federations di-

rector of initiatives for the

emerging generation.

The micro-grant ini-

tiative likes to be on the

forefront of bringing new

experiences to young Jew-

ish adults, and Sheris Gala/

Yoga LOV-E-scapade will

be sure to do just that.

If the events are success-

ful, Chiprout said she hopes

to use the momentum to

continue building her brand

while supporting various

causes and initiating coolthings for the community.

I have other ideas. Im

just kind of keeping them

in the back pocket for right

now.

Visit sherimuse.com or

call Samantha Banks at 613-

798-4696, ext. 270 for more

information about Elevate.

Tickets are available online

atjewishottawa.com/eg.

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Sheri Chiprout has organized Elevate,a series of two

events to raise funds and awareness for organizations

combating domestic abuse and sexual assault.