Montgomery County School Board Member Claudia Mitchell, WIT’s vice president, will also present the Volunteer Service Award at the event.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Women In Training, Inc. (WIT), a nonprofit organization that distributes WITKITS of menstrual, hygiene and dental products to underserved girls and nonbinary youth, will swear in Alabama state Rep. Rolanda Hollis as the organization’s new board chairwoman during its annual meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
The 2023 WIT Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, One Museum Drive, Montgomery, Alabama 36117. The event will begin with a catered reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a formal meeting at 6 p.m.
“I am pleased to accept the nomination and vote of the Women In Training Board of Directors, naming me as their chairwoman,” Hollis said. “WIT’s co-founders, Breanna and Brooke Bennett – who also serve on the board – are my ‘sheroes’ for their work to end period poverty, and it is my honor to work alongside them, the rest of the board and our volunteers to make feminine hygiene products accessible to all girls across the state of Alabama.”
Hollis sponsored HB 50, Alabama’s “period poverty” bill, which became law in April of last year after three years of advocacy by Hollis, WIT and WIT’s supporters. The law allocates $200,000 to the Alabama Department of Education to provide grants for menstrual products to students in Title I schools across the state.
Hollis also connected WIT with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has provided hundreds of turkeys that WIT has given away over the last three years during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also provided volunteers who helped pack and distribute WITKITS, and donated food, menstrual and hygiene supplies to serve 672 families in need after the Selma tornadoes.
“State Rep. Rolanda Hollis has proven herself a tireless advocate of WIT and our mission to end period poverty. We are elated that she has agreed to join the WIT board of trustees as our chairwoman,” said Adeyela Bennett, the CEO of Women in Training. “We could not ask for a more highly esteemed, outspoken and well-connected individual to lead our organization into the future – a future where no girl will have to miss school or work because she does not have the right products to manage her period.”
Also during the annual meeting, Claudia Thomas Mitchell, WIT’s vice president, and Rep. Hollis will present the first-ever WIT-President’s Volunteer Service Award. (PVSA) in 2003 to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Women in Training and other certifying organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.
"We want to celebrate the invaluable contributions of volunteers, for they are the change-makers, igniting hope and restoring the dignity of every woman, one period at a time,” Mitchell said. “WIT volunteers are illuminating the path towards a more equitable world for all women. Their selfless acts of service embody the transformative power of collective action, reminding us that the fight for menstrual dignity requires not just words, but hands and hearts united in solidarity."
Community leader Krishula Edwards will emcee the WIT Annual Meeting. Edwards is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Counselor who helps individuals combat complex trauma and is an Associated Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She owns Edwards Essentials, LLC, through which she provides consulting and mental health services. Edwards is President of Mayor Steven Reed’s Young Professional Council in Montgomery. She is actively involved in a range of civic organizations, including Junior League of Montgomery and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Beta Nu Omega Chapter.
Tania Johns, Co-Chairwoman of the 2023 Annual Meeting stated: "United by a shared vision, I am inspired by our donors, community partners and dedicated volunteers who believe in WIT's mission. Together, we will continue to champion menstrual equity, empower youth and create lasting change in communities. Your unwavering support fuels our organization's mission and I am proud to serve as co-chair and stand alongside you."
Donors who contributed to the 2023 WIT Annual Meeting include the following:
Adeyela and Bradley Bennett
Dr. LaToya Clark, MD
JSA Consulting
City of Montgomery Commission Chairman Charles Jinright
City of Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed
Dr. LaKeisha Thomas, DMD
Claudia Thomas-Mitchell
Sandra Whatley Washington
Women in Training board members who supported the Annual Meeting planning are as follows:
Tania Johns and Claudia Thomas-Mitchell, Co-Chairwomen, Annual Meeting Steering Committee; and Sandra Whatley-Washington, Development Chairwoman
Alonzetta Laundrum-Sims, Treasurer; Akiesha Anderson, Legal Counsel; and Adeyela Albury Bennett, Chief Engagement Officer
Elizabeth Johnson-Sellers, Board Secretary and Social Media Manager; Bradley C. Bennett, Communications Chairman; and Kimberly Brown, Chairwoman, Strategic Planning Committee
To register your intent to attend the Annual Meeting, please click HERE!
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