XENIA — A local non-profit is expected to move into the Emerge Recovery and Trade facility within the coming weeks.
Lisa Jordan, founder of “Providing for Women” (a group that provides feminine hygiene products to young girls/women), has just announced her partnership with Emerge (the former Greene County Career Center) and has a full schedule of activities for the next month. She hopes to have the move completed by Aug. 20.
“I see this move to Emerge as being a great thing,” Jordan said. “I have a vision of once we get in and set up, that we would be able to open the doors so women will be able to come in and get what they need like they’re shopping. Our whole thing is about providing dignity. Hygiene is such an important thing for everyone. We want people to feel good about themselves and get whatever they need.”
To that end, Jordan has continued to partner with Xenia Community Schools to provide free feminine hygiene supplies, an idea that grew into reality in 2018.
“We started providing to girls at the high school,” Jordan said. “About 90 percent of our visitors to the high school clinic are girls on their period. We started supplying clinics with pads and tampons. This past year, I started a push to get dispensers in the bathrooms at the schools.”
According to Jordan, starting this fall, Xenia Community Schools will be installing a total of 30 dispensers in the elementary, middle, and high school restrooms.
“This is a huge leap in our battle against period poverty — the lack of access to necessary period products,” Jordan said. “The cost for this first trial year will be $5,900 to fill 30 dispensers throughout Xenia’s school system. This is going to save a lot of girls hassle and attendance issues and increase attendance by 2 percent according to statistics.”
Jordan’s daughter, Laylah, said when “we provide men and women with basic things such as razors, toothpaste, and makeup it gives them a sense of self worth.”
“It gives them a sense of confidence and gives them the dignity to go out and face the world. It’s the little things like this we take for granted and we are happy to be able to provide whatever we can,” she said.
To raise money to provide the products, the organization holds fundraisers throughout the year. The next fundraiser, “Shop for Dignity,” will be held Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Greene County Fairgrounds. For more information, visit www.providingforwomen.org or to donate, call 937-532-4352.
