SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The 15th annual Trade Secrets event, a fundraiser for Gesher Human Services’ many workforce initiatives for women, including Women to Work, financial education, computer training, resume writing, homebuyers’ assistance and more, takes place at the Detroit Marriott Troy (200 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, MI 48084) on Thursday Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.
Women to Work, one of the important free programs offered, helps women re-enter the workforce after significant life-changing events such as a financial need due to family job loss, divorce, death or disability of a spouse or partner. Women are provided with assessment, testing, and job search training, emerging from the program with renewed self-confidence, market-ready job skills, and an action plan.
With its many programs benefiting jobseekers, Gesher supported more than 10,000 women in metro Detroit in the last year. This year’s Trade Secret’s event aims to raise $400,000; well over $2 million has been raised since the event first started.
Monni Must, this year’s keynote speaker and honoree, will inspire attendees with her story of resilience and her ability to channel her grief into positivity after the loss of her daughter, Miya, the oldest of her four girls. Working with Holocaust survivors, Must memorialized their struggles and triumphs in Living Witnesses, a two-part book series of portraits and bios that honored over 400 living survivors in seven countries, many of whom were local Detroiters.
She also partnered with local hospitals to photograph newborns who died during or after birth to give some comfort to their families, and she has been active in philanthropy with Gesher’s programming for people living with mental illness.
Must said she was honored to be this year’s keynote speaker, calling Gesher an “incredible organization” that “helps people dig out of difficult circumstances which may have seemed insurmountable.” Her own passion for helping others provides some comfort to herself.
“The truth of the matter is that I lend my hand out because it also helps me. I was in the worst situation you could be in, losing a child, and I can show people that you still have to get up in the morning and get going. I have had to dig a new pathway and I can show others they can do it too,” she explained. “Being my oldest, Miya was my grounding force. When she died, I wanted to do everything I could to keep her memory going. Everything I do is to honor her.”
Gesher Human Services CEO Paul Blatt said Must is an inspiration to any woman facing obstacles in her life.
“Many of our program participants are faced with extreme challenges and have to find a way to reinvent themselves and in many cases, achieve financial stability through employment opportunities,” he said. “Monni was faced with a terrible tragedy and used Miya’s memory as a force for good in our community. She is a shining light to any person who is trying to find purpose and hope.”
Trade Secret’s will also honor Southfield resident Lia Threatt with the Gesher Triumph Award. Threatt was able to become an effective saver for her family and learn to manage her finances by joining financial education programs at Gesher Human Services. She was also able to reinvent her working life after being laid off as an IT professional by updating her resume and taking part in a career coaching program with the nonprofit. Her journey culminated in a job offer from the City of Detroit in IT Support.
“I really feel that it is the people I worked with at Gesher who should be getting the reward – they were so compassionate about helping me find a job and really celebrated with me when I got one,” said Threatt. “I was in a really bad place but after working with the team on interview skills, my resume, and my finances, I just felt more positive. I wouldn’t be where I am now without the help I received from Gesher.”
As in previous years, raffle tickets and a silent auction with exciting prizes will be available at the event. Prizes this year include a trip for four to Florence, Italy, with accommodation in a luxurious apartment; a five-course chef tasting experience for four from Grey Ghost; two tickets for the Fisher Theatre’s opening night performance of To Kill a Mockingbird on March 5; a seat at a small virtual group reading with psychic medium Rebecca Rosen and a signed copy of her book What’s Your Heaven?; and gift cards to Townhouse, Phoenicia, Ima, Capital Grille and more.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities contact Linsey Fox on (248) 233-4343 or email [email protected].
