COMMUNITY IMPACT
JLW SUPPORTS THE GIRLS
E
very woman should have the ability to maintain her dignity, regardless of her circumstances. This principle starts with providing basic necessities for those who lack access or cannot afford them. To a woman experiencing homelessness, owning a single bra is considered a luxury; yet, wearing the same bra over time can lead to health complications. Living on the street can also mean having to decide between eating a hot meal or purchasing a box of tampons. Through an international network of affiliate programs, I Support the Girls collects and distributes essential feminine items, including bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene supplies. Access to these products allows women experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress to stand tall with dignity. Over the course of a year, Lauren Celestin, Done-In-A-Day (DIAD) Committee member and I Support the Girls program co-lead, and Victoria Sheard, former DIAD Chair and current Innovation & Incubation Committee appointee, partnered with Dana Marlowe, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of I Support the Girls, to create a series of educational, interactive, and fun ways to engage Junior League of Washington (JLW) members, allowing women from across the League to participate in a partnership between the two organizations. Celestin explained she stepped up to lead this project because, “[i]t was an unsettling realization to me that any woman, independent of daily circumstances, did not have access to basic personal and hygiene necessities. Although this effort was small in comparison to the complexity of these women’s lives, it is undoubtedly a piece no woman should have to worry about. It was important for me, as a woman, to help solve this problem and raise awareness.”
2
Fall 2019
By Molly DiGiammarino
Done-in-a-Day Committee members put together hygiene packs in conjunction with local nonprofit, I support the Girls. The hygiene packs were distributed to various organizations around Washington, DC, supporting women. In fall 2018, Celestin and Sheard included I Support the Girls in JLW’s holiday donation drive and collected more than seven 18-gallon-sized containers of new and gently used bras and new hygiene products from JLW members. In April 2019, the DIAD Committee invited Marlowe to give a presentation at JLW Headquarters open to all members of the League. Marlowe shared how access to hygiene products can make such a difference in the lives of Washington, DC, women, especially for young girls in school. Some girls have to skip school during their menstrual cycle because they cannot afford hygiene products, which can affect their grades and reduce graduation rates. Some prisons also charge inmates for feminine hygiene supplies; others only give out one or two products per day. After the presentation, JLW members stayed to assemble hundreds of hygiene kits for distribution to our Community Partners, authoring short notes of encouragement for inclusion in the packs. DIAD delivered bras and hygiene products to more than 20 different organizations across the city, including Anacostia High School, N Street Village, Community Family Life
Services, YMCA, Soccer Without Borders, DC Safe, Whitman-Walker, Stepping Stones Shelter, and Tahirih Justice Center. In total, nearly 20,000 hygiene products and 3,000 bras were delivered to organizations in need. Around the globe, I Support the Girls helps girls and women experiencing homelessness, victims of domestic violence, victims of sex trafficking, refugees, and evacuees affected by natural disasters. To learn more about the organization and how you can help, visit isupportthegirls.org. •
JLW volunteers assembled and distributed hygiene packs, including pads and tampons to local organizations supporting women experiencing homelessness.
