Category: Forums

Lisa J. Blanchard

December 24, 2017

The Grateful Garment Project’s mission is to ensure that every victim of a sexual crime who seeks medical attention and/or law enforcement involvement is provided with whatever new clothing, toiletries, snacks and other items that he or she may require. We have further expanded our mission and vision to encompass all victims of sexual violence. This includes, but is not limited to Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC), and victims of Human Sexual Trafficking. Our scope is wide but our purpose is narrow: no victim of sexual violence in our communities should ever experience further suffering due to a lack of clothing to wear home after he or she receives services from a Sexual Violence Service Provider.

Lisa J. Blanchard is the Executive Director and Founder of The Grateful Garment Project (gratefulgarment.org). As founder, Lisa has been the guiding force and visionary of The Grateful Garment Project. Lisa’s unique combination of experience in nonprofit, customer service, law, and management produces the creative and conceptual leadership required to bring The Grateful Garment Project to the State of California and beyond. She has dedicated significant amounts of time to working with people not only professionally, but also in a volunteer capacity. Lisa holds an AS in Business, a BS in Human Services and a Masters in Nonprofit Administration. It is her vision that no victim of sexual assault ever experience further suffering due to lack of resources.

After the Forum, please join us for a lunch at 12:30pm. The lunch is complimentary for first-time visitors and students.

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.

Antonio J. Torres

December 17, 2017

Antonio J. Torres will speak about his own personal experiences, as well as those of Puerto Rico generally, by going into detail about the legal aspects of the church and state relationship there. Mr. Torres is associated with the Secular Latino Alliance (secularlatinos.weebly.com) and Hispanic American Freethinkers (hafree.org), and used to be involved with Humanistas Seculares de Puerto Rico (www.humanistaspr.org) when he lived in Puerto Rico, before moving to California last year.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-12-17): Humanism in Puerto Rico (Antonio J. Torres) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.

Susan Cabrera

December 10, 2017

Humor plays an important part in our lives not only because it is enjoyable but because it contributes to our mental and physical well-being. As scientific studies reveal, our bodies and minds are inextricably connected. Our thoughts–be they stressful, happy, bitter, or light-hearted–have an impact on our bodies. This talk will focus on the role of humor in promoting overall health. Susan Cabrera has her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Stanford with emphasis in behavior modification. She has been a counselor at the Stanford Institute for Behavioral Counseling and a clinical researcher at the Stanford Department of Psychiatry. Susan’s poetry book Life in the Fast Lane will be available for sale and personal dedications after the talk.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-12-10): Humor and Your Health – Susan Cabrera from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.

Michelle Chappel

December 3, 2017

Women often feel like they need to be superheroes just to keep up with their jobs, families, friends, and side interests. Real superwomen don’t try to be everything to everyone, especially in today’s fast-paced world. Success comes from focusing on what has heart and meaning, boosting inherent skills, and being open to new opportunities. This talk will show women — and men — how to discover their unique creative abilities and use these superpowers to reclaim their power, accelerate their careers, and revitalize their lives.

Dr. Michelle Chappel (www.michellechappel.com) is an internationally acclaimed singer songwriter, business consultant, keynote speaker, coach, and author. She has a Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton and was voted “Most Inspirational Professor” at the University of California, Santa Cruz where she taught cognition, creativity and problem-solving.

Despite being called “crazy” by a few colleagues, she ditched academics to follow her dream to be a rock star. Since then she’s won 17 Billboard International Songwriting awards. Her tunes have topped Europe, South Africa, and U.S. college radio charts, and appeared on ABC, HBO, Encore, and Showtime.

For 20 years, Michelle has combined psychology and music in her creativity workshops to help thousands of people, ages 8 to 96, discover their unique gifts and talents and use these superpowers to excel in work, school, and life.

She also conducts user experience research, innovation workshops, and brainstorming sessions for many well-known companies.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-12-03): How to be a Real Superwoman in Today’s World – Michelle Chappel from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.