Hey women (and male friends): “Girl’s night out!”

Sat. Feb. 26, from 7 p.m. ’til we drop @ Preloved Chica Clothing, 102 E. 31st street, next door to Fortin de las Flores, which fellow blogger 3 Sonorans wrote about back in December (click here).

The “Girls Night Out!” event will feature shopping, sipping margaritas, enjoying scrumptious desserts, fabulous door prizes, and “por supesto” (for sure) dancing, plus stand up comedy by Stephanie Howard. Adults only please, with a suggested donation of $5.00.

I dropped by yesterday for a preview of the gently used resale shop and the new advocacy for women “action center” Fortin de las Flores in the same building. The goal of Fortin de las Flores is “supporting families and creating leaders for social justice today.”

The open house/luncheon was attended by Ward 3 Councilmember Karin Uhlich, former Ward 5 Councilmember Steve Leal (now a talk show host on KJLL 1330 AM radio), and representatives from the City of Tucson Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, House of Neighborly Services, Center for Economic Security, CODAC Behavioral Health Services Inc., Sky Island Alliance, and Tucsoncitizen.com.

Mission statement:

Fortín de las Flores is a grassroots membership-based organization dedicated to promoting civil, economic and human rights of women throughout Southern Arizona. As an action center we work to create alternatives to confront the poverty and violence that plagues our families as well as maintaining a commitment to celebrating the positive and healthy accomplishments found within our community

The four program coordinators of this new organization are women activists with diverse backgrounds in student counseling, domestic violence, organizing, politics, and immigrant rights. These four are Lea Tanya Koppa, Lorena Howard, Maritza Broce, and Rosalva Fuentes, who can all be reached at 520-795-3460, or info@fortindelasflores.org. Website: www.fortindelasflores.org (under construction), mailing address is P.O. Box 77096, Tucson 85703. Bilingual services in Spanish/English will be available.

The location of this action center/soon-to-open resale shop is on the SE corner of E. 31st and S. 6th Avenue in South Tucson, five blocks south of the Sam Lena-South Tucson branch library. Lots of free parking in the back parking lot (towards the south).

Donations of new & gently-used items are needed right now – especially working women’s clothing, boys’ clothes, and books for all ages. Memberships are also available starting at $30, plus monetary donations to “directly help women build a better future for themselves and their families.” Please help these women get this agency/resale shop started, to help other sisters in need.