A compassionate network of advocates, CIS offers critical services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. What these traumatic events attempt to take away, they work to rebuild and restore.

       Deborah’s Place opens doors of opportunity for women who are homeless in Chicago. Supportive housing and services offer women their key to healing, achieving their goals and moving on from the experience of homelessness. With two program locations and more than 200 units of housing across the city,Deborah’s Place is now the largest provider of permanent supportive housing in Chicago exclusively for unaccompanied women. We serve more than 500 women a year with the goal that once a woman comes to Deborah’s Place, she will never be homeless again.

“I am a storyteller who excavates and decorates the bones of traditional folk and fairy tales as an invitation to others to do the same.”

Janice M. Del Negro, PhD, is a professor at the School of Information Studies at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. Educator, author, and coach, she has been a featured storyteller and presenter at the National Storytelling Conference, the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Northlands Storytelling Conference, the Mariposa Storytelling Festival, the National Storytelling Festival, the Moonshell Storytelling Festival, the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Conference, the Tejas Storytelling Festival, and many other celebratory events.

Jason Hines has been the resident puppet builder at the Center for Puppetry Arts for a long, long time.  In his spare time he plays accordion and likes to make hotdogs.  That's about it.

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Check him out on his Instagram page: @budgrubber

At Early to Bed we are committed to helping people of all genders and orientations explore their sexuality to the fullest. In our comfortable and safe environment, we provide quality sex toys and accessories as well as access to the most current information about sex and sexuality. It is our mission to spread the good word about positive sexuality to as many people as we can through our shop, website, and various outreach events. 

To support women and gender minorities in Kenya, please consider supporting Engenderhealth. EngenderHealth is a leading global health organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality.

Liz Joyce founder, director, puppeteer and now driver of the new Goat on a Boat Puppet Truck & Mobile Stage which takes… outreach efforts to the next level by transforming Goat on a Boat into a mobile, outdoor, traveling theater. Inspired by the Bookmobile, the Puppet Truck has the flexibility to visit under-served communities in a wide range of locations to create an uplifting and educational, theatrical experience for children and their families. We are excited about this new direction, as we view it as the beginning of a far greater opportunity to serve and collaborate with a socioeconomically and geographically diverse audience. IG @goat_on_a_boat_puppet_theatre

Jason Hines has been the resident puppet builder at the Center for Puppetry Arts for a long, long time.  In his spare time he plays accordion and likes to make hotdogs.  That's about it.

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Check him out on his Instagram page: @budgrubber

"Suzanne Moulton is a multi-media textile artist who devotes her personal work to wildlife advocacy. She runs a small home studio, producing puppet films, video tutorials, and making specialty items for independent puppet and stop-motion animated films. She has a BFA in Illustration & Design from Kansas City Art Institute where she developed her skills in photography, sculpture, fiber arts, and puppetry. She has worked as a department lead on the feature films Coraline, Frankenweenie and ParaNorman, and on projects for Disney, Adult Swim, Google and in the UK with Mckinnon & Saunders. Technologies she brought to the industry are still used as the fundamentals for stop-motion animated hair/fur today. Her experience of a wide range of production styles on different scales has given her insight into how to make quality stop-motion production more accessible and sustainable. Suzanne advocates for health and safety in artist practices, encouraging a shift to using less or non-toxic materials, recyclable supplies and repurposed common items. She has spearheaded Project Nowhere Wolf, a self-produced, short stop-motion film and art making tutorials showcasing the use of these more sustainable practices that put artist health first.YouTube Channel: Suzie's Workshop IG @suzannemoulton"

Pandora Andrea Gastelum is a puppeteer, designer, writer, and performer. She owns and operates The Mudlark Public Theatre in New Orleans' 9th ward and is the Artistic Director of that space's resident theatre company, The Mudlark Puppeteers.

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As a company, the Mudlark Puppeteers specialize in puppet theatre that is innovative and unconventional, presenting original and little-told stories of heroic misfits and wayward love. The Mudlarks have a developing repertory of object-based works in a variety of scales. Our work explores history and human experience through a lens of fable, waging a playful but determined battle for alternative modes of being. We are devoted residents of the Gulf Coast and feel connected to our community through our common experience of constant reinvention. Displaced from our preexistent positions within "city," "home," and "family" our questions of self-identification are fundamental: What is it that we were and what will we become? We are exploring, through puppetcraft and performance, the creative capacity of dispossession- the way that radical shifts in belonging reinvent being. Our methods of storytelling reflect this experimental position. Responding to personal and historical narratives of displacement- the results of bereavement, physical and social dissolution- we imagine hope in the form of new stories- the dispossessed as emerging heroes.

Jason Hines has been the resident puppet builder at the Center for Puppetry Arts for a long, long time.  In his spare time he plays accordion and likes to make hotdogs.  That's about it.

​

Check him out on his Instagram page: @budgrubber

OARS is an online collective that combats abortion-related misinformation and connects people with practical, medical, financial, and legal resources on various subreddits.

At Planned Parenthood our mission is to ensure all people have access to the care and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. Founded in 1916, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, educator, and passionate advocate here in the U.S. as well as a strong partner to health and rights organizations around the world. Each year, Planned Parenthood delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people. 

The Tool Shed, located in Milwaukee, WI since 2004, is a mission-driven, education-based sex toy store. More than your typical adult store, we provide quality, non-toxic and body-safe products that enhance the sexual lives and relationships of our customers, all in a comfortable, compassionate, and welcoming atmosphere.

The Tool Shed is a place where people of all genders and sexual orientations can explore their sexuality in a positive environment and be treated with respect by a friendly and knowledgeable staff. Our team knows a lot about the toys and equipment we sell, and we frequently offer workshops and other events where our customers can learn more about a variety of sexuality and relationship topics.