Press Release: August 21, 2009

Ariane Kirtley is Changing Lives: Founding Director Featured in Major New Book

WASHINGTON, DC (August 21, 2009) – Ariane Kirtley, Amman Imman's Founder and Director, has been featured in a major new book "Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own: Paths to Social Justice and Global Human Rights" by Jeffrey A. Kottler and Mike Marriner published by Wiley Press.

Says Kirtley "It was such an honor to have been interviewed about my work with Amman Imman. My inclusion in this book came about in a most unusual way - on a routine business flight, our dearly departed Dennis Hamilton just happened to be seated next to Mike Marriner, one of the book's co-author's. The two of them became immersed in conversation about Amman Imman and Mr. Marriner was so intrigued by Dennis' enthusiasm that he called to speak with me directly just a few days later. The book discusses how I founded Amman Imman despite seemingly insurmountable odds, and how I was moved to forgo all other life paths in order make this dream a reality. With the publication of this book, it is as if the silent guiding hand of Dennis is still with us. I am sometimes speechless when I realize how much he did for Amman Imman."

A book description from Amazon.com

"By supporting others and promoting change, helping professionals also enjoy the benefit of personal growth. Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own is filled with narratives from individuals from social work, psychology, counseling, and allied health fields. Inspiring and stirring, this book vividly illustrates how to promote social justice and foster global human rights. Its accompanying DVD features stories from a social justice mission to Nepal reaching out to neglected children. Students and professionals will find this book a profound reminder of how targeted social justice efforts have resulted in transformative experiences."

From the Back Cover

"A book of hope, of resilience, and of passionate and courageous efforts to change people's lives far beyond the narrow scope of your own community and immediate circle of influence. Imbued with both a fitting sense of urgency and a profound sense of hope, Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own tells the stories of faculty, students, and professionals from a variety of fields who reached out to others after witnessing an injustice, poverty, or need in the lives of the most neglected and marginalized in society—and in reaching out, were transformed through the process of helping others."

Coauthored by two individuals who have devoted their careers to making a difference in the lives of others, this stirring book is a call to action, for both the young and young at heart, and is filled with inspiring and real-life narratives from individuals from a broad range of helping professions such as social work, psychology, and counseling.

Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own introduces you to the basic concepts related to social justice, global human rights, service learning, community activism, and altruism, with a look at elements that are often part of service learning, social justice,and charitable work—including the joys, satisfactions, frustrations, and crushing disappointments

* Why people help, how they do it, and what they get out of their efforts

* Suggestions for how to create the kind of experiences likely to be the most satisfying and transformative

* Countless opportunities for readers to stand up for the rights of those who are oppressed

Read more about the book including customer reviews at the Amazon site.

Here is a sample from the book with the chapter featuring Ariane
(by permission from the publisher, Wiley Press:

We are honored the our founder has been included in such an important book and we hope you will take an opportunity to buy the book and to spread the word about Amman Imman. Please see the "share" link at the top right of this page to help publicize this page.

Program Amman Imman is a Washington, D.C.-based program, working in partnership with the American non-profit The Friendship Caravan, For more information, visit: www.waterishope.org.  To read about student efforts to help, visit: http://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/.

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