Meet Hannah!
By: Hannah Regan; intern
When I was twelve, my mother went back to school to become a nurse. When I was fifteen, she began a job as a school nurse at a secondary school that was located only a few blocks away from my high school. Almost every day after school, I remember hearing stories about her students, their experiences as young people, and my mother’s experience as an educator. She taught me about youth outreach workers and peer sex education, inspiring me to start the Power to the Period campaign at my high school. She continues to inspire me everyday with her dedication to using her talents to better her community, just as I hope to do with Simply The Basics.
I first discovered Simply the Basics through a Power To The Period campaign I organized at my high school my junior year. I used a search engine to find local collection centers of feminine hygiene products and found Simply the Basics listed there. I was drawn in by the enthusiasm and passion of those involved in the organization and their complete dedication to empowering each and every person.
Access to personal hygiene products is something too many people (including myself) frequently take for granted. Not having access to the soap, toothbrushes, shampoo, tampons, etc. that we need every day has a detrimental effect on the dignity and health of the individual. In this way, the Hygiene Bank is a true necessity in the fight to empower every individual and provide them with the dignity they are entitled to as human beings. I could never imagine, for example, living without feminine care products, especially tampons. I don’t think I could spend one fourth of my year in constant need of a shower.
It doesn’t take a lot to do a lot, and every little bit counts. The world is made better every day by those who dedicate even an ounce of their talents and resources to helping others. And if you have more than an ounce to give, why wouldn’t you?
Fun Fact! I have been an avid knitter since age thirteen, a skill I picked up from my grandmother at age six. In middle school, I knit nearly fifty hats for premature babies in the NICU for serve hours.
