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Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Maureen O'Connor participated as a judge at the 3rd Annual Funky Diva Purse Auction on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, at the historic Josaphat Arts Hall in Cleveland. All the proceeds from the auction benefit the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
“I'm honored to participate in an event for such a worthy cause,” said Justice O'Connor. “I am happy to support the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center in its efforts to provide important services to individuals who have been impacted by sexual violence.”
Select local artists were chosen to create stylish, custom-made handbags unique to this year's event. The bags are on view and later auctioned off.
The crisis center is dedicated to serving survivors of sexual violence and those who support them with free comprehensive healing and advocacy services, and to creating social change in the community through education, training, and activism. In 2006, volunteers at the crisis center took more than 3,000 phone calls on its hotline, assisted more than 200 survivors and secondary survivors in local emergency departments and police stations and provided immeasurable help and support for various fundraisers and crisis center events. For more information about the crisis center and its annual charity event, visit www.clevelandrapecrisis.org
Justice O'Connor was elected in 2002 as the 148th Justice on the Supreme Court of Ohio and the seventh woman to serve on the Court. She has experience as a practicing attorney, magistrate, common pleas judge, and prosecuting attorney. In 1998, she was elected as lieutenant governor and was the governor's chief advisor on criminal justice issues, serving as director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and as chair of Ohio's Security Task Force and the State Building Security Review Committee.