Making An Impact

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Making An Impact

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I have been fortunate to be a part of charity ball since my freshman year. Being able to contribute and work towards a goal fills me with an indescribable feeling. I am known as the girl with big puffy hair. As a girl with curly hair, I’ve come to terms with the high maintenance it takes to manage my hair. My hair is a part of my identity as it is how most people recognize me. As a young girl, I’ve experienced my own struggles to embrace my hair in its natural state and, to this day, consider it a vital step in accepting and defining my own cultural identity.

Knowing that one of the five principles in choosing our beneficiaries is equity, I want to make a more equitable impact within the organization this year. If there is one thing I could change in my community, it would be making multicultural hair products more accessible to those in need. I’d like to mitigate some of these fundamental challenges by making ethnic hair care products available to those who need them to help in understanding the emotional significance hair has on culture and identity. Haircare plays a significant role in the maintenance of health, well-being, and dignity. This strong cultural identity promotes self-esteem, self-respect, a sense of belonging, and a healthy sense of pride.

As I was speaking with the Crisis and Homeless Shelter director, she shared with me that not all of the unique needs of the demographic were being met, particularly multicultural ethnicities, despite having tons of toiletry donations. As part of my mission, in conjunction with raising monetary donations for the Haven House, I asked the donation coordinator if an Amazon Charitable list could be created to have items shipped to Haven House. I would like to fulfill their request and donations to help fill this need for the teens who need products catered to their hair. Diversity needs to be celebrated and learning more about what products are being requested on Haven House’s survey from current teens is bridging the diversity and inclusion gap one hair product at a time.

Raven Heyward

Standing Committee Officer


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