Cincinnati Enquirer
Monday, October 06, 2008
Contributed By Joseph Powell
It's no secret that now is a time when women's strengths are urgently needed in their communities, in business, and in the world. Last spring, O, The Oprah Magazine partnered with The White House Project to put out a call to women who already had initiated a leadership project and wanted to take it to the next level. More than 3,000 women with great ideas applied for Women Rule!, the first-ever leadership project contest held by O, The Oprah Magazine and the national, non-partisan White House Project.
Lisa Dunster, 41, of Loveland, OH was one of the 80 standouts invited to New York City for three days of leadership training with coaching by some of the top women trailblazers in the country. Dunster will take what she learned at Women Rule! and implement it into her personal project: Operation Reconnect, a nonprofit organization assisting military personnel in reconnecting with their communities, employers, families, and other veterans in their area.
“We haven’t realized our civic responsibility to assist our service men and women in adapting to society when they come home. We expect them to jump back into civilian life as if nothing happened. To allow another generation to maneuver their way back into their lives alone or without greater support is unconscionable to me,” says Dunster.
You can read about Dunster’s experience in the November issue of O, The Oprah Magazine on newsstands October 14.
