Can you believe it’s already been one year since Free Flow, Inc. was founded?! We can’t! It seems like it was yesterday that Morgan Brown approached three friends; Danielle Armstrong, Sierra Robinson, and Anye Biamby to help bring her vision of promoting menstrual hygiene management to life. Now, one-year, multiple partnerships, a fundraising brunch, and thousands of items donated later, Free Flow the Movement, Inc. is a fully functioning 501©3 not for profit organization. Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts.
We formed Free Flow as an organization with a three-tiered mission statement: to educate women, men, boys and girls on the importance of menstrual hygiene management, to advocate on behalf of women who do not have access to menstrual hygiene supplies, and to eradicate the stigma and taboo surrounding the subject of menstruation. Here are some of the most memorable highlights of our accomplishments over the past year, and how they align with our mission:
Educate: In order to educate men, women, boys and girls on the importance of menstrual hygiene management, Free Flow held a series of Period Pop Up Events, where we collected and boxed sanitary products for distribution to shelters in the Northern Virginia area. We have also spoken at events such as Jirani Café’s Open Mic Night in Manassas, Virginia to spread awareness on the issue.
Advocate: To advocate on behalf of women and girls who may not have the opportunities to advocate for themselves, Free Flow was honored to establish a partnership with Catholic Charities and the Nativity Shelter; an all-women’s shelter in Northwest, Washington D.C. to have an open discussion on the issues women face during menstruation while also experiencing homelessness. It is with this information that we have been able to adjust the type of items we request for donations to better suit their needs.
Eradicate: Through our various social media posts, our #PeriodTalk Blog series, and our open panel discussion on menstrual hygiene management, we have been able to lessen the taboo and the stigma surrounding the topic of menstruation. We want to keep encouraging others to feel empowered by discussing menstruation, and to not feel ashamed about something that is a part of everyday life.
Over the year, we have collected and distributed more than 15,000 sanitary products to shelters in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. area, we’ve donated items to the Mason Temple Church in South Carolina to assist with Hurricane Florence Relief Efforts, we’ve kept our Disaster Relief Period bank stocked so we could send items to Haiti, and we’ve garnered enough support from our community to host our inaugural fundraising event, the Be Free Fundraising Brunch.
None of this would have been possible without YOU, and we are beyond grateful for your continued support. For next year, we plan to continue to fulfill our mission, and hope that you will continue to embark on this journey with us.
- Free Flow Founders.