Mimi Hughes, born in 1956, teaches learning-challenged children in Lynchburg, Tennessee.  During the summer of 2010, Mimi will swim the 981 miles of the Ohio River to raise funds and awareness for organizations that support the life skills and academic education of girls. The swim will focus on select organizations from the rural and urban areas of the Ohio River Valley to the remote and fragile environments of the Middle East and Africa that effectively promote education in girls and women. In return, these women and girls will transform themselves, their families and their communities.

If anyone can meet this goal, Mimi can!  She has already accomplished a swim to Russia for peace, a swim of the Tennessee River (652 miles) for environmental responsibility, a swim of the Danube River (1800 miles) for social/environmental responsibility and a swim of the Drava and Mura Rivers (400 miles) for the same.  She has developed a networking site, http://womenacrosstheworld.ning.com, where you can learn more.

Mimi Hughes will accept the help of groups and individuals who support her mission but she does not accept monetary donations.  She asks that those moved to help promote the education of women and girls make contributions directly to one of the three charities she is highlighting during her swim or get involved with like-minded organizations in their communities.

Mimi Hughes’ stop in East Liverpool will be hosted by Appalachian Cottage Industries, a project of the Alliance for Better Living in East Liverpool.  Appalachian Cottage Industries is a project aimed at supplementing the income of artisans and craft people in the Appalachian region.  It is a 501 (c) 3 qualified non-profit.  See our new web-based store being developed at www.appalachiancottageindustries.com.

Events in East Liverpool:

On May 23rd,, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Mimi will arrive at the Broadway Wharf after swimming from Aliquippa, PA.

On May 24th at 1:30 p.m., Mimi will speak at Kent State University East Liverpool Campus in the Blair Memorial Library located in the Main Building at 400 East 4th Street, East Liverpool. 

On May 25th, at 9 a.m., Mimi will reenter the Ohio River for her swim to Toronto.

ORGANIZATIONS RECOMMENDED BY MIMI HUGHES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Girls on the Run of Cincinnati is a life-changing, character development program for 3rd - 8th grade girls in the Greater Cincinnati area. We use exercise, positive reinforcement, and encouraging role models to provide girls with the confidence they need in those critical pre-teen years. Each hour-long lesson combines running and walking games with various life skills, including healthy eating, leadership, setting goals, cooperation and other age-appropriate topics. www.gotrcincinnati.org

Central Asia Institute is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Central Asia Institute community projects are in remote mountain villages of northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and the steppes of Mongolia. The terrain varies from the highest consolidation of high peaks in the world to miles of high desert plateau. Most of our community-based projects are in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan, and the Pamir and Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. Very few organizations serve the remote areas where they work.  www.ikat.org

The mission of Strong Women, Strong Girls is to build upon the lessons learned from strong women throughout history to help girls and young women become strong women themselves. Strong Women, Strong Girls has created an innovative after school model that uses the study of contemporary and historic female role models, mentoring relationships with college undergraduate women, and skill building activities to help at-risk girls in grades 3-5 build positive self-esteem and skills for life-long success. www.swsg.org