On Saturday November 16, 2019 we will honored a group of thoughtful and dedicated community change agents. This year we are celebrating 3 women educators who are Advocates for Girls. Join us at our Give Thanks event as we elevate those around us who are the change we want to see in the world. Meet Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams—Advocate for Girls Honoree 2019. Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams graduated from Seton Hall, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She…
In 2019, GrassROOTS members have provided over 50,000 sanitary napkins to 1000 girls in the US, Jamaica and Ghana—yet that is not enough. 1 in 4 girls will miss school each year because they do not have the supplies necessary to have a healthy period. These same girls are often recipients of free and reduced meals. In New Jersey, we have partnered with Uzima Dance Fitness to build a pantry at Central High School. On Giving Tuesday, GCF and…
#GreenRibbonWeek—a SuperGirl lead public health initiative aimed at supporting youth mental health—was a raging success. Throughout the week of September 14th, adults and youth showed their commitment to supporting positive mental health for youth. Adults at Mastercard and GlaxoSmithKline donned their green and posted online. Youth at Kelly Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and West Orange High School flooded the hallways with their green. West Orange High School and Central High School in Newark held yoga…
SuperGirl Amina is the girl ambassador for the #EndPeriodPoverty campaign. She traveled with the GCF team to Jamaica earlier this year and now she is traveling to Accra. With the support of the Rotary Club of Accra, Proctor and Gamble, Uzima Dance Fitness and Dr. Tiffenia Archie, Amina and the GCF board members Dr. Janice Johnson and Lisa Maxwell, they will deliver sanitary napkins to four schools across Ghana. In 2020, GCF will be forming year round pantries for girls.…
For the past nine years, GrassROOTS has been providing necessary resources for families in need. This year, GrassROOTS will host #GiveThanks Turkey Giveaway events in Newark, New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia. Our New Jersey giving will go to residents of Newark. This includes students at Central High School and residents of Georgia King Village (GKV) in the West Ward of Newark. GKV is a housing development in Newark, and home to a significant number of single, black mothers and their children. Almost…
Girls in poverty will miss almost one third of a school year, simply because they are a girl. Thirty-seven states tax girls and women for period products. As early as age 9, the majority of girls will begin menstruation. This launch into womanhood constitutes many changes to their lives. For girls with meager and limited resources menstruation introduces new and more stressful financial burdens. The consequences of which can impede their educational achievements. The effects are compounded for those…
The work contributes. October 12-17 we continue the work to help #endperiodpoverty. SuperGirl Ambassador Amina Anekwe will lead this initiative. We will visit four schools and donate 2500 sanitary napkins. Each girl will get up to 3 months supply of resources including a book from SuperGirl Marley Dias’ #1000blackgirlbooks campaign. Mrs. Alberta Ekar made each of the 500 reusable bags for the girls. Also joining the trip is GrassROOTS President Dr. Janice Johnson Dias and…
Join the GrassROOTS SuperGirls’ public health initiative #Green Ribbon Week - a campaign to promote positive mental health of youth. #GreenRibbonWeek is September 9-13th The campaign goals are: For YOUTH: Educate yourself and youth around you about ways to maintain good mental health. Model ways for peers to adopt daily healthy lifestyles within their communities, especially their schools and homes. For ADULTS: Encourage adults to engage in practices that facilitate dialogue with young people. Provide examples for…
The GrassROOTS Team traveled to Haiti on June 15th for the #WhatOrphansWant social action initiative by SuperGirl Olivia Raymond. The trip followed the What Orphans Want Benefit Concert just a week prior, which raised $12,000 to grant the wishes of youth in Haiti. $5,000 of the dollars raised was donated to Child Hope International, an orphanage located in Port-au-Prince. The remaining dollars were spent on granting the individual wishes of children at the Love in Action School in Guirand. …
About #EndPeriodPoverty GrassROOTS has taken a global approach to the issue of period poverty. As us, we are collecting and donating sanitary supplies to girls in Newark, Jamaica, and Ghana. This work is an imperative because across the world girls living in poverty will miss almost one third of a school year, simply because they menstruate. These are often the same girls who are eligible for free and reduced lunches. Therefore, because of the bias and stigma around…