An Interesting Week

Cherie Blair, wife of Tony Blair the former British Prime Minister

I hope that my readers will forgive me for not posting later this afternoon. I’m taking the train up to New York City to attend a meeting on Human Trafficking. Many people don’t realize that Human Trafficking or modern-day slavery is a $32 Billion a year business. In addition to selling illegal weapons and drugs, organized crime is increasingly stealing young boys and young girls and selling them to pedophiles, and tricking and kidnapping women and forcing them into prostitution against their will. They often use drugs on the kids and women to make them cooperate. In addition to the sex slavery, there is also forced labor.

Cherie Blair wrote a chapter in a new book, Stop the Traffik: People Shouldn’t Be Bought & Sold. Mrs. Blair is an advocate for women’s rights, and will be at the meeting to discuss the issue. Additionally, there will be officials from the United Nations Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. I was honored that Deborah Sigmund, founder of Innocents at Risk asked me to attend this meeting on her behalf, as she could not attend. She asked me to join the board of Innocents at Risk last fall, and I am helping her with event planning and other work. Innocents at Risk is having a very nice event at the French Residence on May 20th. Tickets are $500 and include the afterparty at the private Georgetown club, L2, and a ticket to the America’s Cup of Polo on May 16th. If you are interested, please email me at missa@askmissa.com, and I can give you all the details.

Tim Russert, NBC’s Washington Bureau Chief, Moderator for Meet the Press, and member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington

On Tuesday night, I attended the 24th Annual Congressional Dinner for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, as the guest of Rynthia Rost, Vice President of Public Affairs for GEICO. I am helping Rynthia with a fundraiser for Fight for Children this fall, and we are working together on a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club next year. The dinner was a tribute to Tim Russert who was a huge supporter of the Boys and Girls Club. Tim’s father had actually attended the Boys and Girls Club when he was growing up in Buffalo, NY. The presentation was very moving. The children of the Boys and Girls Club gave excellent speeches–many not even needing to look at their notes! Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC was on hand for the Tim Russert tribute, and as a financial sponsor for the Club. Mr. Zucker was introduced by the most adorable and charismatic 7 year old boy, Ahmad! The crowd loved him, and Jeff joked that he definitely had a TV career ahead of him.

So, it’s been an exciting week. Wish me luck as I travel to New York. I’ll be back online at some point tomorrow.

- Miss A