Ahead of senior tennis season, Quaker Valley’s Kristen Close hosting empowering women program

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, August 11, 2024 | 8:29 AM

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A free program entitled “Empowering Women Around the World” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Sewickley Valley YMCA Walter J. Brannon Community Center.

MePower United of Sewickley, Women of the Cloud Forest of Pittsburgh and Local Women’s Handicraft of Nepal will present the program. Kirsten Close, Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak and Sahin Pravin will serve as guest speakers.

Ava Maha will emcee the event, which will detail how a Quaker Valley senior (Kirsten Close), a Pittsburgh fair trade organization founder (Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak) and a young woman from Nepal (Sahin Pravin) have chosen to empower girls and women around the world.

Light refreshments will be offered. The night’s activities also will include a pop-up shop with fair trade products made by Local Women’s Handicraft.

All proceeds will be donated to MePower United and Local Women’s Handicraft’s period poverty initiatives.

Close, a Sewickley resident and senior athlete at Quaker Valley, is co-founder and president of MePower United, a local student-driven initiative that helps enable disadvantaged women take control of their health and well-being by providing health education and training (such as support to make reusable feminine hygiene supplies for themselves).

MPU also provides the disadvantaged with a dignified source of income through sales of reusable pads and reduces period poverty in their communities.

“My charity is hosting Sahin Pravin from Nepal to talk about women’s poverty and things we are doing to combat it around the world,” Close said.

Kofmehl-Sobkowiak of Pittsburgh is co-founder of Women of the Cloud Forest that has direct, long-term relationships with small family workshops and cooperatives in Nicaragua, Nepal, Ecuador and Peru.

Women of the Cloud Forest believes that fair, stable jobs can create change in developing countries. In addition to creating access to a global market for their artisan partners, WOCF provides business training and product development.

Pravin hails from Kathmandu, Nepal, and is program director of Empowerment Collective and Local Women’s Handicraft.com, a fair trade, eco-conscious collection of female artisans who create unique fashion and decor in Nepal.

Their mission is to provide a living wage and empower and educate artisans. They also provide a safe space for women who have escaped abusive practices in the textile industry, and other hardships in their communities.

Donations go toward providing menstrual supplies to school-aged girls as well as other community enrichment programs.

Close’s sister, Ashley, a 2024 Sewickley Academy graduate, also is co-founder of MePower United. She is attending Wake Forest this fall.

QV athletes Nora Hammond and Ruby Olliffe serve as vice president and secretary, respectively; Ruby Krotine and Lily Pulkowski are volunteer coordinators.

Vanessa Pickett, Olivia Jordan and Anna Hanley are social media directors; Lucy Wagner, Grace Wiehe and Shea Cunningham are fundraising coordinators.

MePower United board members include chairman Kelly Close MD, MPH, vice-president Teresa Mueller and Courtney Jones JD, MFA.

Kirsten Close plans to continue her tennis career at Haverford College, a Division III school that is northwest of Philadelphia and a member of the Centennial Conference. Chartered member teams are located in Pennsylvania and Maryland; associated members hail from New York and Virginia.

Close intends to major in history and study in the pre-law field.

“I chose Haverford because I love the small-school environment and was looking at both D3 and D1 schools,” said the QV upperclassman, who also considered attending Colgate, Swarthmore, Washington and Lee, Vasser, Hamilton and Case Western.

“After I did an official visit at Haverford and at Washington and Lee, and met with the Colgate team over spring break, I decided Haverford was my first choice. I loved coach (John) Taft and the team. More importantly, when I went to classes, I liked the small-school class environment, the beautiful campus and the honor code which reduces the risk of a cut-throat environment because students aren’t allowed to talk about their grades.”

Practice for the WPIAL girls tennis season starts Monday. The QV girls’ first match is set for Aug. 20 at Baldwin; their first home match is a day later against Hampton.

“I’m really looking forward to being with the team and coach (Christi) Hays again,” Close said. “Avery Allen is a rising freshman who I play with at the Pennsylvania Tennis Academy (PTA) and she is extremely talented.

“I’m excited about our team’s potential for both the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs, but as a senior I just really want to have fun and enjoy team tennis.”

Needless to say, Close has impressed her coach at QV tremendously.

“I will be a guest at the talk and I am enthusiastically looking forward to it,” Hays said. “I first became aware of Kirsten’s MePower United charity organization when Kirsten was up for an award and she asked me to write a recommendation for her. I didn’t hesitate.

“It was our good fortune at QV to have Kirsten on our team when she transferred last year. She immediately became the ‘heart’ of the team as she provided spirit and morale, not to mention an undefeated individual record at No. 1 singles.”

Hays believes Close’s command of the game of tennis helps motivate her QV teammates.

“One of my favorite quotes is ‘Quality inspires,’” Hays said. “I saw first-hand that Kirsten brings quality to every practice and match, and she inspires her teammates. Kirsten is a natural leader, a most valued and generous teammate, and a respected opponent.”

Hays believes her star tennis player will have an impact on thousands of lives across the globe.

“I was not at all surprised when I learned Kirsten had decided to champion’a different cause with her MePower United charity,” Hays said. “The charity specifically addresses period poverty in homeless, trafficked and underserved girls and women. It also provides the tools to implement a sustainable business by making and selling reusable menstrual pads.

“Kirsten says she hopes that this ultimately helps to lift the women out of poverty and provides them with a dignified job and improved quality of life. She has dedicated much of her time over the past year-and-a-half to helping women in El Salvador and worldwide receive the resources and education needed to tackle menstrual or period poverty. Period poverty results in missed school and workdays, infections and social stigma.”

Hays termed Close’s efforts as courageous

“I’d venture to say that most young women Kirsten’s age don’t even have the courage to talk about the subject of menstruation let alone address it on a global stage,” Hays said. “The QV tennis team and I have seen what a difference one person can make.

“And now thousands of lives will be bettered by the action of one brave and focused young woman.”

Because she transferred to Quaker Valley a year ago, Close now is eligible for postseason play in girls tennis. She also competes in lacrosse in the spring.

“As far as my expectations for Kirsten this year, the sky’s the limit,” Hays said. “She has been working on her game all year. WPIAL players ought to be looking over their shoulders. She has to at least be a favorite to win our section — even though Sewickley Academy’s in it this year.

“And I also think Kirsten needs to be in a small handful of players who are in the conversation as to who could win WPIALs. And then who knows, the PIAA? I’m really excited to have a front row seat for her senior year.”

Tags: Quaker Valley