SECOND SATURDAY IN NOVEMBER

FROM COLORADO SPRINGS

"Having a period shouldn't be in the way of living your life."  

Read news coverage of International Day of the Girl and the Colorado Springs team here.

TABOO SUBJECT

It's normal.  It's necessary.  It's part of life for half of the population.  But worldwide, so many people avoid the subject of menstruation.  They find the topic of feminine hygiene to be awkward, uncomfortable and/or embarrassing. Now check out this video!

ANOTHER TWEAK TO A PATTERN

The flannel liners for our Heavy Flow kits have been redesigned.  I will explain to any of you who are interested in making some.   

No change to the regular liners. We'll still cut those 8.75" inches, so they finish at 8.5".

GOLD STANDARD SHIELD

Days for Girls just published this--how to tell if your shield is perfect:

WHAT DOES IT COST TO MAKE A KIT?

Each of our kits uses flannel for the liners, cotton for the bag and shields, PUL (the moisture barrier fabric) for inside the shields, grosgrain ribbon for the drawstrings, 2 Ziploc gallon-size freezer bags, 2 pair of undies, a washcloth, and a bar of soap.  One of the other chapter leaders figured out the per-kit cost of supplies to be $10 to $12.  I'm by nature very frugal, so never pay full retail for anything, so we are probably a bit below that.  Plus, we have some wonderful supporters who regularly drop off fabric leftover from quilting projects, washcloths or undies they've picked up on sale, etc.  What we can't use, because of fiber content, pattern or color, we pass on to other nonprofits.  The biggest part of making our kits is all the hours put into that process.  Without these generous volunteer hours, we would have been able to reach far fewer girls.

We do not charge the recipients for our kits.  We request a donation from the group taking/distributing them.  The gold standard is $10, but some groups donate much less or occasionally nothing.  Some fundraise specifically for the kits they'll be taking.  One paid more, wanting to help us reach more girls than just their distribution would.  The kits are always free to the girls and women  who receive them.

DONATIONS

Any donation you make, in supplies or money, helps girls stay in school longer, marry later, have children later, and her education boosts not only her family's economic status, but also that of her community and nation.  In developing nations, there's a  direct correlation between low education level of the mother and infant and early childhood mortality.  I'm so inspired by the impact our efforts will make on current AND future generations.

If you have supplies to donate, easiest way is to bring them to one of our workdays at Our Sewing Room.  You can also drop them off there other days, marking them for Days for Girls.  

If you want to make a donation online, through our current fundraiser, that's at donate.daysforgirls.org/Eugene. This fundraiser will have weekly challenges through December 4th.

If you give me cash or a check (made out to Days for Girls), it will go entirely to our chapter, and there's no deduction for credit card fees with that method of donating.

Anytime you want a receipt, just ask me!

I even have little donation certificates I can give you, notifying someone that a donation has been made in their name.  

These were popular a couple of years ago at Mother's Day.  Maybe it's time to bring them out again.  Would you like to make a donation to DFG in someone's honor this holiday season?  Perhaps as a stocking stuffer?  Just let me know.  I have them with me at workdays.  They're 4.25" x 5.5",  $10 each.  It's a great way to let more people know about Days for Girls while helping additional girls.

And here's a DFG graphic that has a few statistics you can share:

Days for Girls and what we do is changing that, one girl and one kit at a time. I sincerely thank you for your part in this!

SECOND SATURDAY IN NOVEMBER

Please remember, because of a scheduling conflict at the wonderful Our Sewing Room, we'll be  gathering on the second Saturday in November, rather than on the first.  Come for as much time as fits into your schedule, between 10:30 and 4:30.

If you're a top-notch sewer, please bring your machine (with an empty bobbin) or serger. We have thread!  For everybody else, we have many more hours worth of essential non-sewing/non-serging jobs that need doing.

Quality over quantity!