Clovis woman and Fresno pal find success in helping women in need

In just one year’s time, Charlotte Bavaro of Fresno and Brenda Critzer of  Clovis have seen their dream become a beautifully blooming reality.  It started out as “Women with a Purpose” which brought together 36 women for a “girls’ night out” dinner meeting.  While the women had a great time just getting to know each other, the real purpose was in the ten dollars each woman donated to the selected cause.  The women that night suggested other women who could benefit from this helpful gift and the next month’s meeting was planned.

Twelve short months later, their anniversary dinner on April 21 raised over $1,500 for the most recent recipient.  The group is growing as word spreads and the women bring new friends with them.  The ladies support local restaurants with their meetings and have been able to make a real difference in their community.  In fact, when things really took off, Bavaro and Critzer realized they needed to create some guidelines for the women who wanted to start groups in other communities.  When they went to trademark the group’s name, they discovered they would need a new one.  The common theme through all the group’s growth was “how?”  How were they going to manage all this had become?  How were they going to keep up with the needs?  They decided on a simple answer…helping one woman at a time.

H.O.W. (Helping One Woman) is not only a trademarked name, but there are new chapters springing up all over the Central Valley.  To celebrate all the exciting growth and changes, H.O.W. is having an anniversary celebration on Friday, May 8, 2009, at the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Fresno.  There will be no host cocktails and vendor booths, as well as live jazz music, raffle prizes, and a DJ for dancing later in the night.  The event will run from 5:00 PM – midnight.  All the proceeds will benefit three separate recipients.  All three women are young mothers facing devastating medical issues and will be greatly assisted by the monetary gifts.  This is an opportunity for the entire community to support what H.O.W. is doing and provide meaningful assistance to these deserving women.

Tickets for the event are $35 for general admission and $45 for VIP seating around the dance floor with complimentary champagne.  For more information about attending the event or being a sponsor or vendor, contact Charlotte Bavaro at (559) 250-0587 or Brenda Critzer at (559) 285-3397, or email howfresno@yahoo.com.

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