It was a sold out event the brought two charities together for the first time to draw attention to a much worthy cause both at home and abroad.

Hope in Her Eyes saw more than 200 people gather at the Laurel Packing House last Friday, to fundraise for HER International and the H.O.P.E. Outreach Society.

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The evening 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ featured a dinner, social gathering, and art auction 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ drew parallels between the challenges women face both globally and locally.

The idea for the night was inspired by the concept of looking into the eyes of a person, it is possible to see that you91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™re not all that different from them.

During the event, guests heard the stories from women about the challenges they are facing on the streets of Kelowna and in the villages of Nepal.

President and co-founder of H.O.P.E. Angie Lohr also told her story that saw her living on the streets as a drug-addicted prostitute to finding hope, getting clean and helping other women who came from the same situation she once did.

More than $17,000 was raised during the event which will be split equally between the two non-profits.

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The charity HER International works to provide educational opportunities and sustainable life skills to marginalized women and children in Canada and Nepal.

Since its inception, HER International has rescued over 187 girls from bonded labour and given over 2,261 educational scholarships to Nepali girls.

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While the H.O.P.E. Outreach Society provides a safe home for women who are looking for treatment and a new start. Each month H.O.P.E. provides street outreach to between 50 and 75 women and to date more than 300 women have stayed in the House of H.O.P.E.

The two organizations hope to continue to work together, draw more awareness to the issues women face around the world, and fundraising to provide support to these marginalized women.

jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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