User talk:Halfthestory/sandbox



Parlay House is national organization of women who meet monthly in salon-style gatherings to pull each other forward through a combination of shared experiences, meaningful content and peer-to-peer connections.

The organization is dedicated to creating inclusive gatherings of diverse women who come together to listen provocative speakers, hear inspirational stories and explore new topics. As part of the events, women find unexpected commonalities and create new bonds, beginning a cascade of connection that extends, one by one, out into the community. Currently, the events take place in the San Francisco Bay area (San Francisco, Marin and Oakland) as well as New York City.

Background & Mission
Parlay House was formed in 2012 when Anne Devereux-Mills decided to shift her life conversation from “what she does” to “what she cares about”. Her very focused life as a single mother and CEO subsequently broadened to test the waters in a number of adventures from education, mentoring, board leadership, healthcare venture, political activism and film-making. In each of these new activities, Ms. Devereux-Mills began to see that the women she came in contact with became strengthened when sharing their stories and experiences in a safe and trusted environment. With this realization, she began hosting small groups of gatherings in her home, where new acquaintances, friends, and friends of friends came together to share an experience and find their shared experiences and truths. At each gathering, a topic covered by an expert, a panel, a performance or a learning experience brings women together and creates a shared experience which opens up lines of communication for women to get to know each other on a level far deeper than what we “do”.

Community
Topics for the monthly gatherings are developed by the organization’s Founder and augmented by a “Partner in Crime” in each city. The objective of each event is not only to encourage conversations about current topics and issues, but to provoke, stimulate, empower and motivate attendees. Most of the time, the events are hosted at the home of the Founder in order to create a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. When a topic will be better suited for a different space, members of the community offer free space at their organizations (like art galleries, bars and learning environments) to the members.

The membership model is “opt-in,” where current members invite companions who they believe would contribute and benefit from being part of the Parlay House community. Each month, members receive an invitation to attend an upcoming event in her area and she can choose whether it interests her  and fits with her  schedule. If it does, she purchases a nominally-priced ticket to reserve her  spot.