Women

GLENDALE — In the Glendale Police Department community room tonight, fists will fly, elbows will drop and women will get tough, all under the tutelage of a self-defense trainer who specializes in teaching women. It’s the first in a monthlong series of events coordinated by a collective of Glendale nonprofits and city agencies who are looking to promote women’s issues during National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In the coming weeks, the public will be invited to a host of awareness-raising community events, including the traditional Take Back the Night solidarity march — but tonight it starts with physical defense, said Kathie Mathis, director of the Glendale YWCA’s domestic violence program.

To many, the traditional images of scientists and engineers were of men, but at Jet Propulsion Laboratory that stereotypical representation vision has never been the case. “There are a fair number of women here,” said Joy Crisp, Mars Science Laboratory deputy project scientist. Crisp, along with fellow MSL scientists and engineers Jamie Waldo, lead mobility engineer; Julie Townsend, robotics engineer and robot driver; and Suparna Mukherjee, sampling engineer, has had a love of science for many years.

The one-night-only performance of “Beneath the Veil” at the Alex Theatre March 11 was a powerful tribute to the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Several hundred theater-goers attended. Mary Apick, the production’s producer, director and co-writer, was one of Iran’s most popular stars. She brings her considerable talents to the play, which presents vignettes of women who have suffered under Islamic culture in Iran. “I carry the voices of all these women in my heart and soul, and I will never leave them behind, no matter where I live,” said Apick.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- They aren't household names, but their efforts affect many people throughout the area. Three local women were honored Monday on the floor of the state Senate as the Woman of the Year for their respective legislative districts. Linda Maxwell, co-founder and executive director of Glendale's We Care for Youth, was state Sen. Jack Scott's pick for the 21st state Senate District. "Troubled youth is something we are greatly concerned about," said Scott (D-Glendale)

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? Kathie Mathis ? the director of domestic violence programs for the Glendale YWCA ? skipped a luncheon with President George W. Bush two weeks ago. She was to be among a group of people from across the country who would be presented with the Congressional Medal for Merit, the civilian version of the Medal of Honor. Mathis instead attended a state conference on ending violence against women, where she presented a legislative proposal to provide abused women with an advocate to speak on their behalf during court proceedings.

Lynne Raggio’s philanthropy begins with a little history, a lot of family and a dedication to health studies. Raggio, a Glendale resident and the daughter of a Scottish immigrant, remembers her mother’s stories of a time when women could not vote, take the same elevator as a man in a private club, collect their own paycheck or own a home. Even in Raggio’s own life, she has seen women’s rights change. “Women were really underserved in the 1950s and ’60s,” Raggio said.

At 19, Narine Khodadadian is certified with the state of California to speak to patients after crisis situations and, in instances of sexual assault, with women or children. The founder and president of the Student Humanitarian Aid Organization at Glendale Community College, Khodadadian is working with peers through the online club, which connects prospective volunteers to organizations that need support. She volunteers at the Valley Trauma Center, an organization that helps people who have suffered from domestic violence, including abuse to children and the elderly.

CITY HALL — Dozens of women gathered Thursday night on the steps of the Glendale police headquarters to call for an end to sexual and domestic violence. The annual Take Back the Night rally has become a staple around the world and in Glendale, where residents have been empowered to speak out against violence on women. “Let’s all try to help each other, to look out for each other and to continue until violence stops,” said Paula Devine chairwoman of the city’s Commission on the Status of Women, which sponsored the rally with the YWCA of Glendale.