Women In Training, Inc. (WIT), joined Selma, Education Literacy Math & Arts (S.E.L.M.A.) community organization in distributing 100 WITKITS on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, to people in need following the recent tornados that devastated Selma, Alabama. The Selma WITKITS distribution took place at the American Red Cross Shelter at Selma High School and in hotels that serve as temporary shelters.
United States Congresswoman Terri Sewell greeted the WIT team at the Red Cross Shelter at Selma High School.
“Thank you for caring about our community!” Sewell said as she warmly hugged Breanna and Brooke Bennett, the 15-year-old WIT founders.
U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama expresses appreciation to Brooke and Breanna Bennett, the teen founders of Women in Training, Inc., for providing menstrual, dental and hygiene supplies to families in the tornado-torn areas of Selma, AL.
Women In Training participated in the JustServe Martin Luther King Jr. Day Volunteer Festival at Dexter King Memorial Legacy Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where volunteers packed WITKITS for people in need who menstruate in Selma.
“Periods do not take time off, not even in the midst of a natural disaster,” said Adeyela Bennett, CEO of Women In Training, Inc. “That’s why our hearts go out to the people of Selma, and WIT is here to give menstruators one less thing to worry about as they rebuild this historic community.”
State Sen. Robert Stewart welcomed the donations from WIT.
“Our community is incredibly grateful to Women In Training for their support during our recovery process,” Stewart said. “This worthwhile charitable organization has a stellar track record of advocacy for gender equity and it’s amazing they are building inroads in our region.”
S.E.L.M.A., the community organization that is partnering with WIT in the WITKITS distribution on Saturday, was created by Alicia Chestnut as a bridge to excellence for young people in Selma. The organization provides educational, STEAM-related workshops, and community support. The American Red Cross is providing the space for the WITKITS giveaway in its emergency shelter at Selma High School.
State Rep. Prince Chestnut echoed his support.
“I am pleased that Women in Training and S.E.L.M.A. are collaborating to give out essentials for people affected and displaced by the terrible tornado that struck our community,” Chestnut said. “My family will join and help get supplies to children and families this Saturday at Selma High School.”
WIT volunteers who supported the Selma disaster relief effort included Jodi Womack, lead coordinator; Mae Cohen; Courtney Myers; Simone Godfrey Myers; and WIT Board Member Tonya White-Evans. Volunteers who supported the packing of WITKITS during the JustServe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Volunteer Festival at Dexter King Memorial Legacy Center include: Lead Coordinator Donna Jordan; WIT Communications Chairman Bradley Bennett; WIT Development Director Sandra Whatley Washington; Ife Dixon; Tina Lewis; Euri Carr; Ms. Womack, Ms. Cohen, Ms. Myers, and Ms. Godfrey Myers; WIT Young Leaders JeNai Turner and Jazlyn Samples. Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melvin J. Brown and his wife, Kimberly, also supported the MLK Day project.
“At JustServe, we are grateful for the example of service Dr. King gave the world,” said Sheralyn Belyeu, JustServe Coordinator for Central Alabama. “Every year, we look for ways to honor his memory by making MLK Day a time for service and community. We can’t go back in time and change the world that Dr. King lived in, but we can look at the people who are around us right now and we can change the world for them. Every time we serve, we help create the community Dr. King gave his life to build.”
Volunteers from the United States Air Force, led by Master Sergeant Ashley Marshall, managed the logistics of organizing and transporting heavy bins of supplies from the Women in Training warehouse.
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