Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Photo: Dallas City Council Members Paula Blackmon and Gay Donnell Willis and JLD members Sarah Keller and Heather Lorch.

Each year, the League completes a community project in the fall, winter and spring. The community project slate allows the League the flexibility to provide ad hoc, timely support to address critical community programs or issues that arise throughout the year.

This year’s winter project embodies the JLD’s can-do spirit. At our November General Membership Meeting, Dallas City Council Members and Sustainers Paula Blackmon and Gay Donnell Willis spoke to League members about their initiative to help low-income, Dallas-area women by improving access to pads and tampons.

This initiative captured our interest and drove Danielle Williams, Community Outreach Assistant Chair, and Ify Okonkwo, Community Impact Project Liaison, to action by proposing the project for our Winter Community Project. Signature Project’s Community Outreach Committee felt this was an issue that would deeply resonate with each of JLD’s 4,400 members.

The League partnered with the Dallas City Council to support their pilot program distributing free feminine hygiene products in Dallas. From there, the Community Outreach Committee organized a donation drive to help ensure the City Council’s pilot program would be a success. Their initial goal: 27,500 items.

Overall, JLD members donated 28,741 feminine hygiene products. The Community Outreach Committee was thrilled with the results of the donation drive and looks forward to following the ongoing progress of the city-wide initiative set in place by Council Members Blackmon and Willis.

Sarah Keller
Committee Chair
Community Outreach Committee
2021 – 2022