Events

Michelle Sacks serves as the Executive Director of Street Grace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating the sexual exploitation of children through prevention, protection, policy, and pursuit.

Throughout her career, Sacks has been committed to ensuring the care and safety of children. Before joining Street Grace, she served as Director of Community Outreach and an Adult Forensic Interviewer at the Forensic Center of Excellence.

Her leadership and service have been recognized with multiple President’s Volunteer Service Awards. She currently co-chairs the Education Committee of the United Against Human Trafficking Task Force Coalition and mentors the Houston Police Department’s Youth Police Advisory Council.

Sacks has also contributed more than a decade as co-chair of the Houston Independent School District #39 School Health Advisory Council and five years as a Reserve Deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology from the University of California, Irvine.

Email President@endHTrotaryclub.org to request the meeting link.

As an avid yoga practitioner in Los Angeles, Kayoko founded Yoga Gives Back in 2007 to express her gratitude for the gift of yoga. Inspired by the microfinancing revolution of Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Kayoko realized, “for the cost of one class, you can change a life”. In its 18th year, YGB empowers over 3,000 mothers and children in India per year with micro- loans and education funds, supported by yoga communities in thirty countries around the world.

Prior to moving to the USA in 1992, Kayoko was a producer/director for NHK Japan’s National Public Broadcaster, working on documentary television programs and Cultural Attache at the Embay of Japan in London, UK. Her passion for filmmaking is rooted in the perspective gained from living abroad: Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, and USA.

Kayoko has been filming YGB’s fund recipients in India to share the real-life stories of underserved women and children, as well as the growing impact of YGB’s global support. Read more about Kayoko’s journey here.

https://yogagivesback.org/

Email President@endHTrotaryclub.org to request the meeting link.

November is Rotary Foundation Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and funds for The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of Rotary International. During this month, Rotary clubs worldwide focus on educating members about the Foundation's impactful work and encouraging donations to support its global humanitarian and educational initiatives. Attend or meeting to learn more. 

E-mail president@endHTrotaryclub.org to request the meeting link.

This meeting is cancelled in observance of US Thanksgiving. 

Laura Dryjanska is a global psychologist whose work in higher education spans across Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She obtained an international joint PhD in Social Representations and Communication in 2012 from the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Raising awareness and engaging in research and teaching about human trafficking and modern slavery has been on her heart since 2009, when she served on the Shadow Children Committee in Italy, first as a Rotaractor of the Rotary Club Roma Cassia, then as a member of the Rotary Club Roma Centenario. In 2013, Laura joined the Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery as a lifetime member. She is Past President of the Rotary Club Roma Centenario in Italy and of the Rotary Club of Whittier in California. Currently, she is a member of the Rotary Club to End Human Trafficking. Laura has conducted research on psychological aspects of human trafficking, authoring over twenty scientific articles in academic journals and chapters in books, most notably her co-edited volume Psychological Perspectives on Human Trafficking, published by the American Psychological Association in 2023. She has also developed and implemented university courses and study programs on the topic of human trafficking on undergraduate and graduate levels. Currently, she is the director of a minor in Human Trafficking Studies at Asbury University. Laura also represents the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski as a member of the working group dedicated to human trafficking under the EU-funded COST Action Blue Rights.

This meeting is canceled in observance of Christmas.