In preparation for the senior tennis season, Kristen Close of Quaker Valleys is organizing a women's empowerment program

By means of: Ray Fisherman

Sunday, August 11, 2024 | 08:29 AM

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A free program titled “Empowering Women Around the World” will be held on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Sewickley Valley YMCA Walter J. Brannon Community Center.

MePower United of Sewickley, Women of the Cloud Forest of Pittsburgh and Local Women's Handicraft of Nepal will present the program. Kirsten Close, Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak and Sahin Pravin will be guest speakers.

Ava Maha will emcee the event, explaining how a senior from Quaker Valley (Kirsten Close), a founder of a fair trade organization from Pittsburgh (Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak) and a young woman from Nepal (Sahin Pravin) have chosen to support girls and women around the world.

Light refreshments will be provided. The evening's activities will also include a pop-up shop with fair trade products made by Local Women's Handicraft.

All proceeds will be donated to MePower United and Local Women's Handicraft's period poverty initiatives.

Close, a Sewickley resident and senior athlete at Quaker Valley, is the co-founder and president of MePower United, a local, student-driven initiative that helps underprivileged women take charge of their health and wellness through health education and training (such as support in making reusable feminine hygiene products).

MPU also provides underprivileged people with a dignified source of income through the sale of reusable sanitary pads and reduces period poverty in their communities.

“My charity is inviting Sahin Pravin from Nepal to talk about female poverty and what we are doing to combat it globally,” said Close.

Pittsburgh-based Kofmehl-Sobkowiak is co-founder of Women of the Cloud Forest, which has direct, long-term relationships with small family workshops and cooperatives in Nicaragua, Nepal, Ecuador and Peru.

Women of the Cloud Forest believes that fair, stable jobs can create change in developing countries. In addition to creating access to a global market for their artisan partners, WOCF provides business training and product development.

Pravin is from Kathmandu, Nepal, and is the Program Director of Empowerment Collective and Local Women's Handicraft.com, a fair trade, environmentally conscious group of female artisans creating unique fashion and home decor in Nepal.

Their mission is to provide a living wage and empower and train artisans. They also provide a safe space for women who have escaped abuse in the textile industry and other hardships in their communities.

Donations are used to provide menstrual products for school-going girls and other community enrichment programs.

Close's sister, Ashley, a 2024 Sewickley Academy graduate, is also a co-founder of MePower United. She will attend Wake Forest this fall.

QV athletes Nora Hammond and Ruby Olliffe are vice-president and secretary respectively; Ruby Krotine and Lily Pulkowski are volunteer coordinators.

Vanessa Pickett, Olivia Jordan and Anna Hanley are social media directors; Lucy Wagner, Grace Wiehe and Shea Cunningham are fundraising coordinators.

MePower United's board members include Chairman Kelly Close MD, MPH, Vice Chairman Teresa Mueller, and Courtney Jones JD, MFA.

Kirsten Close plans to continue her tennis career at Haverford College, a Division III school northwest of Philadelphia and a member of the Centennial Conference. Chartered member teams are based in Pennsylvania and Maryland; associate members are based in New York and Virginia.

Close wants to study history and follow a preparatory law course.

“I chose Haverford because I like the small school environment and looked at both D3 and D1 schools,” said the QV senior, who also considered Colgate, Swarthmore, Washington and Lee, Vasser, Hamilton and Case Western.

“After taking official visits to Haverford and Washington and Lee, and meeting the Colgate team over spring break, I decided that Haverford was my first choice. I liked Coach (John) Taft and the team. More importantly, when I got to classes, I liked the small classroom environment, the beautiful campus, and the honor code, which minimizes the risk of a cutthroat environment where students are not allowed to talk about their grades.”

Practice for the WPIAL girls tennis season begins Monday. The QV girls' first match is scheduled for Aug. 20 in Baldwin; their first home match is a day later against Hampton.

“I'm really looking forward to being back with the team and coach (Christi) Hays,” Close said. “Avery Allen is a rising freshman who I play with at the Pennsylvania Tennis Academy (PTA) and she is extremely talented.

“I'm excited about our team's potential for both the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs, but as a senior I'm mostly looking to have fun and enjoy team tennis.”

It goes without saying that Close made a huge impression on her coach at QV.

“I will be a guest (speaker) at the lecture and I am excited about it,” Hays said. “I first became aware of Kirsten's charity MePower United when Kirsten was nominated for an award and she asked me to write a recommendation for her. I didn't hesitate.

“We were lucky at QV to have Kirsten on our team last year when she moved up. She immediately became the ‘heart’ of the team, bringing spirit and morale, not to mention an undefeated individual record at No. 1 in singles.”

Hays believes Close's mastery of the tennis game motivates her QV teammates.

“One of my favorite quotes is 'Quality Inspires,'” Hays said. “I saw firsthand that Kirsten brings quality to every practice and game, and she inspires her teammates. Kirsten is a natural leader, a highly valued and generous teammate, and a respected opponent.”

Hays believes her tennis star will impact thousands of lives around the world.

“I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard that Kirsten had decided to support another cause with her charity MePower United,” Hays said. “The charity specifically targets period poverty among homeless, trafficked and underserved girls and women. It also provides the tools to implement a sustainable business by making and selling reusable sanitary pads.

“Kirsten says she hopes this will ultimately help lift women out of poverty and provide them with dignified employment and a better quality of life. She has spent much of her time over the past year and a half helping women in El Salvador and around the world get the resources and education they need to address menstrual or period poverty. Period poverty results in missed school and work days, infections, and social stigma.”

Hays called Close's efforts courageous

“I would venture to say that most young women Kirsten's age wouldn't even have the courage to talk about menstruation, let alone raise it on a global stage,” Hays said. “The QV tennis team and I have seen what a difference one person can make.

“And now thousands of lives will be changed because of the actions of one brave and focused young woman.”

Because she transferred to Quaker Valley a year ago, Close is now eligible for postseason play in girls tennis. She also competes in lacrosse in the spring.

“As far as my expectations for Kirsten this year, the sky's the limit,” Hays said. “She's been working on her game all year. WPIAL players should be looking over their shoulders. She should at least be a favorite to win our sectional — even though Sewickley Academy is in it this year.

“And I also think Kirsten has to be among a handful of players in the conversation about who could win the WPIALs. And who knows, the PIAA? I'm really excited to have a front row seat for her senior year.”

Keywords: Quaker Valley