Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409130034
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Joining forces to ``tie one on''?
It is, perhaps, the most unlikely pairing since Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley.
Yet in support of MADD and its efforts to change America's attitudes toward drinking and driving - a crime that killed 17,461 and injured 1.2 million last year alone - Stonehenge Ltd. is introducing the Molecular Expressions Cocktail Collection.
These are limited-edition neckties with colors and patterns that re-create the molecular structures of 10 popular alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, champagne, gin, scotch, tequila, Bloody Mary, gin and tonic, screwdriver and Kamikaze.
MADD's renowned martini glass and key logo is woven into the back of each tie as a reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving.
The Cocktail Collection, says MADD president Beckie Brown, will spread her organization's message to a far broader audience.
``Entertainment Tonight'' co-host John Tesh, MADD's national spokesperson, said, ``It's exciting to think that these designs from nature could affect America's attitude toward drinking and driving while revolutionizing men's fashion.''
The Molecular Expressions Cocktail Collection retails at prices suggested between $28.50 to $32.50.
Stonehenge will donate proceeds -described by Tesh and Brown as ``generous'' -from sales of the collection to MADD.
The Cocktail Collection was launched in Manhattan last month at Macy's Herald Square and will be available at department stores this fall.
\ When Sheri Poe, president of Ryka Inc., created Ryka athletic shoes, it was to save women from the aches and pains of exercise.
Since then, she's taken that a giant step forward.
In 1993, Ryka has been donating a portion of its pretax profits to the Ryka ROSE (Regaining One's Self-Esteem) Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Poe that funds education, treatment and prevention programs to help end violence against women.
For Poe -a rape survivor - it was something she felt compelled to do.
``When you consider that three out of every four women will be a victim of violent crime in their lifetime, it makes sense to use product hangtags and every other possible means to reach women about the ways they can protect themselves.''
A recent National Victim Center study shows that violence against women is reaching epidemic proportions in this country. One out of every eight women will be raped at some point in her lifetime, and 62 percent of rape victims are under 18 years of age.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, every 17 seconds a woman is a victim of a violent crime.
And according to the New York Times, there are only 1,500 battered women's shelters in America, compared to 3,800 animal shelters.
Ryka athletic shoes' hangtags pass along simple advice to women of all ages:
Walk with an air of confidence.
Act like you know where you are going even if you don't.
Approach your car or home with keys in your hand.
Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Remember there is safety in numbers: walking, taking the elevator, driving.
by CNB