Meet Phylicia!
Phylicia Hisel has joined the Simply the Basics' team as our Program Assistant. Phylicia has an incredible background in leading trainings and working with the low income and homeless community. She is driven and motivated to make a difference, especially with a new non-profit. We loved hearing about her passion for Women's Rights, ending homelessness, and supporting her own community. We are thrilled to introduce her to you and welcome her to the team!
How did you first learn about Simply the Basics? What drew you to the program?
I heard about Simply the Basics through a friend and was curious. I knew I wanted to get involved with women’s advocacy and with an organization that empowers people, and this seemed like the perfect fit. One look through its website confirmed that Simply the Basics is all about setting people up for success. It empowers people, shelters, and organizations by providing basic needs and by offering workshops that help people build for themselves a solid foundation for future success. I think what stood out to me most was its efficiency; this is a program that saw a problem and developed a solution that would benefit everyone involved, by involving everyone!
Which Simply the Basics program do you feel the most passionately about and why?
My passion has always been education. The academy presents people with the opportunity to arm themselves with knowledge. I am a strong believer in the old adage “knowledge is power,” so I was very excited to see the workshops the program offers.
If you could say one thing to all of the supporters of Simply the Basics, what would it be?
I would tell them that they are literally lifesavers!
What personal hygiene product could you not live without?
I [literally] could not live without soap. I’m prone to infection so living without soap would be both extremely uncomfortable and potentially very dangerous.
Are there any particular moments in your life that you can point to as being influential in your desire to give back to the community?
One of my most vivid memories from my first winter in New York is of a person lying on a vent outside of my dormitory. It was after dark and heavily snowing. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of experiencing homelessness in severe weather. I still can’t. Simply the Basics helps ease the discomfort and suffering of people in my community, and I can’t think of a better place to invest my time and energy.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I’m in a long distance relationship with my dog. His name is Jackson and he is very nice!
