Microloan Cards

(This is the front and back of the card.)

Eastside Women of Purpose are selling Microloan Cards again before Christmas. They are $25 a piece (or you can feel free to pay more for them). We sold these cards last year and 30 girls were freed from the sex industry in Pattaya, Thailand because of it. 30 WOMEN!!

It costs a little bit more than $100 for a girl in Pattaya, Thailand to start her OWN business and be freed from the sex industry. Some are slaves, some are their because of their economic status, some were tricked into this life, some were born into it... I believe that these young women deserve a chance to start life anew. I believe that they deserve the opportunity to live without oppression, without being forced to have sex with between 5 a 30 men a day. I believe that through business training and mentorship, and a low interest microloan, these women can succeed in truly LIVING! The other cool part is that the after the women pay the loan back, the money is recycled and given to another candidate from the training program. Your money can help countless women!

I know that I often feel like problems like Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery are impossible for me to fix. That's true. But it is not impossible for all of us to gather together and make a difference. I love these cards because they offer girls who are treated as commodity hope... instead of spending my money on just another gift, I can put it towards something that matters... someones LIFE. I feel that it is my duty to help other women that were not given the same chances and opportunities that I have been given.

Please consider joining me in helping. I know that there are a lot of worthy causes out there. If not this project, please give to SOMETHING. We CAN make a difference in someones life. I love this particular project because we have the opportunity to track where our money is going and actually see (and soon meet) the people we've helped. Pretty cool.

So... if you are interested in purchasing a card (or more), please comment and include your email address. I will send these cards to you and you can mail a check to me. The cards fit into a standard envelope or can be wrapped up as a gift.

MY HUSBAND IS HOME!!!

Yay! Jesse's BACK and we are all SO excited. It's funny how we just didn't operate as well without him around. The boys were clingy... I missed laughing with him and at him... I feel like I can exhale now... I know that it sounds mushy, but it's nice to know that we are still crazy about each other after being together 11 years (8 married).

Eastside Women of Purpose Dessert and Movie Night

We are having a Movie and Dessert Night
on THURSDAY, November 13th at 7:30pm
at Amy Cheng's House in Sammamish!

If you are an Eastside Women of Purpose member
(and for some reason didn't get the invitation)
or would be interested in learning more about Human Trafficking,
please comment on this posting and include your email address!
We would love for you to join us.
(Feel free to bring a friend.)

Please Note: The dessert above will NOT be at our event. But it looks delish, doesn't it?)

The Pledge of Allegiance by Liam Butterworth

Liam started preschool this year and LOVES it. I know that he has been learning a ton but he has what we call, "School Amnesia" - he can't remember anything that he has done from the hours of 9am to 12pm. But as we were driving home from school yesterday, he started reciting The Pledge. I have to admit that I got a little bit choked up. It has never sounded so poignant and beautiful... and hilarious!

The Advent Conspiracy

I LOVE the church that I attend. I won't go through all of the reasons why at this point.... :) They are doing something this year that I think is awesome. Watch the video to see what it is and join the movement.

The Amy Grant Concert!!

I had a chance to go to see the Amy Grant "Lead Me On'' Reunion tour last night.
My wonderful husband asked for tickets and backstage passes for me to go with some friends.
(I am SO sorry to all of my friends that are Amy fans that I couldn't invite, by the way...)
It was a GREAT birthday present as anyone who knows me has heard me talk about how I believe that Amy might be my long lost older sister.

1) So... we at dinner backstage.
2) We stalked Amy upstairs in the green room (code for lots of childish giggling).
3) We had great seats.
4) We all got in trouble with some lady for standing up during a song. Yes, she sure was awesome. Have you ever heard of NOT standing during a rockin 80's flashback concert?
5) We went back for the meet and greet with her after the show.
6) Oh! She also put on a really good live show...

It was so great!

Neely and I posing before meeting her.
Yes, we are happy and realize that we are totally dorky.
But nothing says,
"I'm a crazy fan who is mildly obsessed and still remembers your songs from
20+ years ago because I might still listen to them privately,"
quite like the shot below...

Don't we look like great friends? I realize how completely dorky I look but you must realize how excited I was. My dear friend Neely made me take this with her and I will never forget it.

It must be mentioned that when it was our turn to have our picture taken with Amy, Jodie and Neely were in the prime position to stand next to her. Dear, sweet Neely (have you ever been called that?) moved over so that I could stand next to her.
It was very, very sweet and means a lot to me...

BELOW:
For some reason I cannot get this picture to center and cannot type below it!

We all ate with the crew and musicians and
made one of the crew members take our picture.
Can you see how excited we all are?

Prostitution and Potential Human Trafficking in KIRKLAND

Tucked away behind an accountant's office on Northeast 85th Street, the Red Rose Hot Stone Spa sits empty.

Kirkland Reporter

Prostitution charges for Rose Hill massage parlor owner, employees

By KENDALL WATSON
Kirkland Reporter Staff Writer
Oct 21 2008 · UPDATED

King County prosecutors filed charges Oct. 9 of promoting prostitution, a felony, against a Kirkland man and three other women.

Following a nine-month investigation, detectives from the King County Sheriff's Office believe Sheung Tam, 45, was running two massage parlors in Kirkland and Renton as fronts for prostitution. They also allege that her business partner, Kirkland resident Timothy Kevin Howell, and two Bellevue women, Wei Qing Tong, 46, and 39-year-old Chinese national Yu Xian Huang helped manage the criminal enterprise. The four are accused of running two massage parlors in Kirkland and Renton that offered sexual contact for cash. Howell, 35, is also listed as a Class-II sex offender from a past conviction for child rape.

The two businesses -- Red Dragon Spa at 352 Sunset Blvd. N. in Renton and Red Rose Hot Stone Spa at 13017 N.E. 85th St. in Kirkland -- were owned and operated by Tam, a Bothell resident and mother of a 22-year-old daughter. They were both raided in July and shut down. If convicted, the four face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Sharing the same block on 85th Street with Red Rose Spa, Red Rose Chiropractic Clinic and Rosehill Chiropractic Center -- which sits next to the Red Rose Hot Stone Spa property -- have suffered from some confusion over similar-sounding names and services. The chiropractors use professional massage therapists as part of their health care practice, while none of the "masseuses" at Red Rose Spa were state-licensed massage practitioners.

"We started getting some strange people coming in," said Lori, a receptionist for Red Rose Chiropractic. "Lots of men asking about massages and we were wondering 'What's going on?'"

Still advertised online at Yellowpages.com and CitySearch.com as "Red Rose Massage," the business is described as a place where a person will "feel safe enough to relax and unwind." The listing also provides a non-working phone number and includes an anonymous, negative review from earlier this spring.

According to court records, the investigation began last October after a vice detective monitoring the Internet noticed suspicious advertising for the Red Dragon Spa at the Web site Craigslist. The link between the two massage parlors became obvious as detectives followed Tam and Tong traveling between the two locations, delivering laundry and making payroll deposits at a local bank. A subsequent records check of state tax records reportedly lists almost no earnings for the two women. Undercover detectives later visited both locations several times while posing as "johns" and received offers of a sex act in exchange for $100.

Kirkland Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also aided the investigation.

The long investigation helped authorities gather additional information on the four suspects. A former boyfriend of Tam's told police she asked for his help to import Chinese girls in exchange for $30,000. Another person, a woman who identified herself as "Angie," said she knew Tam by her nickname, "Kitty," while living in Hong Kong, China. She feared her as "cunning and smart" and believed Tam planned to use a "younger man to front her a massage business."

An arraignment for the four is scheduled to be heard on Oct. 22 in Kent.

Kirkland Reporter Staff Writer Kendall Watson can be reached at kwatson@kirklandreporter.com or 425.822.9166 ext 5052.