Last night was an amazing finale to a great season of Survivor. We have been cheering Lisa Whelchel on all season. HOPE is thrilled to have her as our Celebrating Women speaker in April 2013 and we are amazed and so proud at how she played the game, represented herself, and showed the world how tough she really is.
Of course we wanted Lisa to win, but we really feel that she already won. As a woman in transition she showed that it takes determination, knowing yourself, and believing in your self to succeed. Lisa made lots of parallels between the game of Survivor and life. At HOPE we see  women in transition everyday, and have tremendous respect for them as they overcome the real life challenges, puzzels, and obstacles they face each day. Except in real life their is no immunity. 
Thanks Lisa for a great season. We can't wait to meet you in "real life". Get your tickets now before they sell out. Our event is April 25th 2013 Gardner MA all proceeds to benefit women and children in need.

Lisa is still in it. She made it to the final four. Here at the House of Peace & Education we are thrilled. She has played the game with honor and been true to herself. This is what we teach the women and children we serve, and we are so pleased to see Lisa stick to her beliefs as well.
Last night our board members and the community gathered at a local restaurant to watch the show and drum up support. It was great to see the wonderful turnout and support for Lisa.
She has come so close to the end and now she will have some difficult decisions to make. I think if she can get to the end she will  have a compelling argument to the jury. She has not been a floater, she has played the game, she has stayed in because of her social skills, and strategy. Keep up the good work Lisa!!

Last night Survivor was quite the tear jerker. Lisa has had some
criticism for her frequent expression of emotion, but last night took it to a
new level. She broke down quite literally when her brother came out for the family visits. I feel that her reactions to the struggles of the game are
natural and "who Lisa is". She seems genuine and I don't think it is game play at all. Malcolm chose Lisa to come on the reward with him. This gave her additional time to visit and get some advice. Her brother encouraged her to make  another big move. Although ironically it was the same big move that backfired on her last time, voting out Malcolm. Lisa struggled with this, but the family visit seemed to cement the idea in her mind and she was able to get the support of her tribe mates. I was very worried about this move. Lisa needs to balance being too nice with creating enemies on the jury. if she comes across as having a good number of supporters on the jury no one will want to take her to the end for fear that she will beat them. If, however, she allows people to believe that she is conniving and manipulative she is going to get voted out. The saving grace last night was that Malcolm won immunity and was spared, but better for Lisa she didn't break an important alliance that could get her to the final 4. Here at HOPE we are in complete support of our 2013 Celebrating Women Speaker Lisa Whelchel and wish we could give her advice on how to proceed cautiously. She has played a great game, but bear in mind that the end is where it gets tricky. Next week Abi needs to go home and we can get Lisa to survive another tribal council. I see the final three as Denise, Malcolm and Lisa and I think in the end it will come down to the challenge. Get your tickets for our event and you can, see Lisa Whelchel here in Gardner MA, ask her about her survivor experience, and help underserved women and children at the same time.