Spoken From The Frontline - A Tribute To Our Warriors

OUR TRIBUTE TO WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT! WE RAISED 16,010L$! ALL FEES WERE COLLECTED BY WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT ORGANIZER, A LINDEN LABS APPROVED NON-PROFIT VENDOR!

Worth The Fight

Every year, thousands of soldiers return to their home country with the deep scars of war. Some deeper than others, some more visible than others and yet they are treated the same by their home government. However, every soldier is not the same. They do not share the same scars or the same experience and therefore, they cannot receive the same treatment. Wounded Warriors Project aims to individually treat soldiers who many otherwise be left on the VA assistance list for a longer period of time. 

The Simple Things

When you donate to Wounded Warrior Project, a soldier receives a backpack with a calling card, clothes, food, hygiene products and other amenities that will help him get his life back on track and hopefully, get him on his way home. When you donate a car or truck is filled with gas that offers a soldier a ride from base to home. When you donate a soldier gets a job that will not only start his career but help his mind stay focused and out of the depression of war. When you donate to WWP, you save a soldiers life that helped protect yours. 

#IotaStrong

Iota Sigma Rho SL Sorority is strong because we are comprised of REAL WOMEN who have sons that are active duty Marine and Army, Cousins off shore in the Navy and Reserves and veterans in our own ranks. We stand by our military men and women because they make the decision every day to answer the call of our country, despite their political and social beliefs. They choose to arm their homeland with their life and fight for a freedom that is not free. When you see #IotaStrong, know that we are #ArmyProud, #NavyProud, #MarineMomProud, #AirforceProud and we are PRHOud to support our veterans and active duty military. 

Special Thanks

We would like to thank Lady China for Djing the first half for us and a special thanks to our Vet. Dj Blue2Smooth for sharing his stories and letting us know things that mean a lot to veterans when the return home. That is priceless information that will help us improve our efforts and therefore improve the quality of life in every soldier. 

Big Thank You to Frets Nirvana and WWP-SL for providing the kiosks as official Wounded Warrior Project Liscensed Vendors.

Thank You to SL Veterans Service!

Thank You to the sisters of Xi Beta Xi for Partnering with us in the month of February. 

Photos of the Event

Freedom From Fear Campaign: After Fight

Everything that glitters isn't gold. Ever heard that statement? In terms of domestic violence, what may seem like an innocent couple, in a typical fight, may be deeply routed habitual abuse. In many situations of domestic violence, long term relationships can be as violent and as turbulent, if no more so, than the newer relationships. Don't be fooled! Stand up to domestic violence!

Fact: IPV alone affects more than 12 million people each year. [v]

Fact 2: From 1994 to 2010, about 4 in 5 victims of intimate partner violence were female. [ix]

VIEW PHOTO AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority

Featured in this ad: Saivee Rho (ISR) & Phil O. Matic (OPS)

Research: www.thehotline.org (National), www.domesticpeace.com/(Arkansas)
Call 1-800-799-72339 (SAFE) |1-800-787-3224 (TTTY)
ADVOCATE!

Find out more about both orgs at:
www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush
www.opssl.org 

Freedom From Fear Campaign: Mortal Kombat

"I'm Gay, I'm being ABUSED, I have rights. Just like you. Don't I?"

LGBT couples are no different than same-sex couples when it comes to signs and characteristics of domestic violence! If you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Pan-Sexual, YOU HAVE RIGHTS! YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!! These hotlines are open for ALL peoples in ANY situation!

Fact: 1 out 4 Same-Sex Couples will experience domestic violence. (1 out of 3 in heterosexual couples).

Fact 2: A LGBT person is less likely to report abuse due to fear of being "outted", lack of public understanding and many other factors that a heterosexual person DOES NOT experience.

VIEW PHOTO AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority

Featured in this ad: Uqqn Zelin Owens & Cherokee Bellic (ISR)

Research: www.thehotline.org (National), http://tncoalition.org/(Tennessee), http://www.opdv.ny.gov/(New York)
Call 1-800-799-72339 (SAFE) |1-800-787-3224 (TTTY)
ADVOCATE!

Find out more about both orgs at:
www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush
www.opssl.org 

Comparing Domestic Violence of Same-Sex Couples and Straight:

• Straight and same-sex domestic violence share many common characteristics:
• The pattern of abuse includes a vicious cycle of physical, emotional, and psychological mistreatment, leaving the victim with feelings of isolation, fear, and guilt.
• Abusers often have severe mental illnesses and were themselves abused as children.
• Psychological abuse is the most common form of abuse and physical batterers often blackmail their partners into silence.
• Physical and sexual abuses often co-occur.
• No race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status is exempt.

Distinctive Straights:

• Gay or lesbian batterers will threaten “outing” their victims to work colleagues, family, and friends. This threat is amplified by the sense of extreme isolation among gay and lesbian victims since some are still closeted from friends and family, have fewer civil rights protections, and lack access to the legal system.
• Lesbian and gay victims are more reluctant to report abuse to legal authorities. Survivors may not contact law enforcement agencies because doing so would force them to reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Gay and lesbian victims are also reluctant to seek help out of fear of showing a lack of solidarity among the gay and lesbian community. Similarly, many gay men and women hide their abuse out of a heightened fear that society will perceive same-sex relation- ships as inherently dysfunctional.

The Problem:

• Authorities often lack the knowledge of how to handle domestic violence cases involving people of the same gender. An officer may mistake two males living together for roommates, for example. And officers may fail to report an incident of domestic violence since the two parties involved may be unwilling to divulge their relationship status. In some cases the victim will be detained instead of the aggressor because the latter was physically smaller.

Source: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2011/06/14/9850/domestic-violence-in-the-lgbt-community/

Freedom From Fear Campaign: Spy. . .

 VIEW PHOTO AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority

Featured in this ad: Naomi Mocha-Eternal (ISR)

Stalking by excessive calling/ texting, tracking and continual psychological torment is ABUSE! Don't make excuses! Stalking is a real and living thing that can cause psychological and emotional damage! Be safe, make a plan, seek help!


Fact: More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.[vi]

Research: www.thehotline.org (National), www.njcbw.org/ (New Jersey)
Call 1-800-799-72339 (SAFE) |1-800-787-3224 (TTTY)
ADVOCATE!

Find out more about both orgs at:
www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush
www.opssl.org

2014 Domestic Violence Fact Sheet & Definitions

2014 Domestic Violence Fact Sheet

VIEW PHOTO AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority

Featured in this ad: Naomi Mocha-Eternal (ISR)

|:: Defining Domestic Violence ::|
(As defined by the National Domestic Violence Hotline & Wheel of Power & Control)

(http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/)

Using Children
Making her feel guilty about the children

Using children to relay messages

Using visitation to harass her
----------------------------------------------------------------
Using Isolation
Controlling what she does, who she sees and talks too.

Controlling what she reads and where she goes

Limiting her outside involvement
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Intimidation
Making her afraid by using looks, actions and gestures.

Smashing things, destroying her property.

Abusing Pets

Displaying Weapons
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using Male Privilege
Treating her like a servant

Making all the big decisions

Acting like the "master of the castle"

Being the one to define "mens" and "womens" roles

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using emotional abuse
Putting her down

Making her feel bad about herself

Calling her names

Making her think she's crazy

Playing Mind games

Humiliating her

Making her feel guilty

Research: www.thehotline.org (National),
Call 1-800-799-72339 (SAFE) |1-800-787-3224 (TTTY)
ADVOCATE!

Find out more about both orgs at:
www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush
www.opssl.org
􀀁

Freedom From Fear: Choke Him!

VIEW PHOTO AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority

Featured in this ad: Cobalt Niles(OPS), Naja Ewing(ISR) and Yummieorg(ISR)

No matter the situation; violence is never okay! In the midst of a lot of emotions; IPV or intimate partner violence ensues and the damage can be irreparable. Remember to breathe deeply, think before you act and walk away from violence.

Fact: Most female victims of intimate partner violence were previously victimized by the same offender, including 77% of females ages 18 to 24, 76% of females ages  25 to 34, and 81% of females ages 35 to 49.[x]

Fact 2: Nearly half of all women AND men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime (48.4% and 48.8%, respectively).[vii]

Research: thehotline.org (National), www.cpedv.org (California)
Call 1-800-799-72339 (SAFE) |1-800-787-3224 (TTTY)
ADVOCATE!

VIEW AD ON OUR BLOG: www.iotasigmarho.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/IotaSigmaRhoSecondlifeSorority


(Featured in this ad: Cobalt Niles, Naja Ewing, Yummieorg)

Find out more about both orgs at:

www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush

www.opssl.org

Freedom From Fear Campaign - Omega Psi Sigma & Iota Sigma Rho January Effort

This month Iota Sigma Rho Secondlife Sorority is partnering with Omega Psi Sigma Fraternity to raise awareness about the effects of Domestic Violence. We hope to empower men & women, heterosexual or LGBT to speak up and speak out against Domestic Violence. For this, today we launch the Freedom From Fear Campaign.

Fact:
On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.[i]
Research: http://www.thehotline.org/, http://www.dccadv.org/(DMV Area)
Call: 1-800-799-7233(SAFE) | 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
ADVOCATE!

Find our more about both organizations at

www.iotasigmarho.wix.com/rush

www.opssl.org

Welcome Gamma Line Rhoyal Devotion!!

WELCOME OUR NEWEST SISTERS!!! 

GAMMA LINE RHOYAL ABSOLUTE DEVOTION

Ms. Naja Ewing, brings her persevering spirit to our sisterhood! She continuously shows her  

love of our sisterhood with her supportive and embracing spirity. Naja lends and ear and shoulder

to those who many need her. We are so pRHOud to have her in our sisterhood 

and invites her to take her new rank in RHOyalty! 

 Ms. Yummie brings her joy and uplifting spirit to our sisterhood. Our excitable and always positive 

sister reminds us that it is the love that we have for our sisters, our charity and ourselves that 

make everything worthwhile. We are pRHOud to call her sister and happily take her

into our hearts and rank in RHOyalty.

Mrs. Uqqn South is the epitome of love and loyalty and has increased that love and loyalty 

into our sisterhood. Our new sister reminds us that loyalty and devotion can be shown 

in leaps and bounds through hard work and love! We are pRHOud to call her 

sisters and welcome her into our RHOyal ranks!!!

Join us in congratulating these wonderful women! :)

Winter Family Day 2013 -- Children's Information Drive!

Tomorrow we kick off our end of the year effort to complete our charitable services information database! We have been working hard, since our re-activation this past spring to get a database compiled of various charitable organizations; large and small, local and city-based, to release to the public!

The purpose of this database is to offer anyone who may be in need, options for help. Because, we all need help sometimes. This list would be completely public and we will not be able to know who may need it. So, regardless of who are and what your circumstances, you can recieve help.

Recap of Philanthropic Efforts & Information Collected This Year:

August: Cell Phone For Soldiers/ Purple Heart - Nationwide Access & Contact Helplines Collected

September: Rep Your Branch - Every branches personal (individual) charity contact information was collected.

October: Women Warriors - Susan G. Komen Statewide Information was collected for every sister. 

November: STOP! Cyber Bullying Forum - NoH8 & small local  (to the sisters) information was collected.

November: Canned Food Drive (Salvation Army) - 160 cans were taken to local banks and the Salvation Army. Every reporting participant provided contact information on their local food bank. 

December: 2013 Winter Family Day / Childrens Information Drive - The purpose of this event is to receive purely local children's charity information in efforts to provide the RL children of active Secondlife parents the opportunities to receive help. It is the observation of this sorority that a lot of Secondlife members have children, often young. With a lot of financial hardships this season, it is important to impact peoples real lives now, more than ever. We are asking for organizations that have coat drives or toy drives specifically! 

This list will be released on our; website, blog, facebook page, facebook account, partners n service group, supporters group and all of our sisters pages on December 22nd, 2013. (The last Iota Day of the Year :) ) 

If you bring your filled NC on Saturday, you could win a prize from this list of generous sponsors

(www.tinyurl.com/isrwintersponsors)

SNEAK PEAK @ FAMILY DAY & BRILLIANT HOPE!

(Remember, you can see  all our event photos and more on our flicr page http://flic.kr/ps/2wj2Jy)