do by bet h c o on ey f i t z pat rick
LET IT GLOW!
INSPIRED BY ONE CHILD’S STORY,
ANNABELLE BARTH IS MOBILIZING STUDENTS, BRANDS AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO UPLIFT
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nnabelle Barth’s introduction to the trauma of domestic violence came from helping one of its youngest victims—a second-grader living in a New York City shelter. The Greenwich Academy sophomore was just 12 and volunteering as a literacy tutor in Manhattan (where she lived at the time), when she was paired with the little boy. His mother had moved into the shelter to keep her family safe from an abusive partner. “Because of the things he had been through, his life had been turned upside down. He was already so far behind,” recalls Annabelle. “He was having trouble with the most basic school things. Even finding a piece of paper to write on was hard for him to do in the shelter.” Week by week, Annabelle saw the difference a few hours her one-on-one attention made in her young pupil’s complicated life. Their bond grew. “Just me being there as a constant had an impact,” she says. “He got more confident in himself and his schoolwork. It was fun to see him change and grow.” When the school year ended, she was disappointed to find out that, for confidentiality reasons, she could not stay in touch with the
Annabelle Barth, founder of GLOW
“I’M INTERESTED IN THE IDEA OF HELPING PEOPLE FIND THEIR SELF-ESTEEM AGAIN.” —Annabelle Barth
boy. But she was curious to learn more about what brought this child to a shelter in the first place. “Before this, I didn’t understand how much domestic violence is a problem, really, in every community,” she says. “I learned so much, it changed my life, too.” This experience was the impetus for the two-yearold nonprofit GLOW (Giving Love to Our Women), which Annabelle founded at 14 to help survivors of domestic violence rebuild their lives by supporting their well-being through self-care. To that end, GLOW’s efforts include partnering with cosmetic companies, retailers and beauty influencers to create bags packed with products that are gifted to the clients of programs in New York City, New Jersey and Fairfield County, which she now calls home. “I’m interested in the idea of helping people find their self-esteem again,” Annabelle explains of GLOW’s core mission. “These survivors have been through such heavy things. So it’s about bringing their sense of beauty back on the inside and out, which I think can also help restore their sense of confidence.” Locally, GLOW has made donations of productpacked self-care bags to the Greenwich YWCA’s Domestic Violence Services, The Rowan Center,
CONTRIBUTED
WOMEN IN CRISIS
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