MLK Day Service “Respect the Dot”

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Alexis Kelerchian

Although the Gwynedd community could not gather in person to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the student body actively participated in a day of service. On Wednesday, January 15th, Ms. Roberson, Gwynedd’s Leader of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, along with the Diversity interns led a presentation on “Period Poverty” with Ms. Lynette Medley of “No More Secrets: Mind Body Spirit, Inc.” The presentation was a discussion of topics like inequity of access to feminine hygiene products, the pink tax, and certain stigmas surrounding the topic of menstruation.

Following the presentation, Gwynedd girls were asked to take on the “Respect the Dot” Challenge in which they created kits containing feminine hygiene products for young women who cannot afford or access their own products. On MLK Day, girls were asked to create two kits for the cause and post photos of themselves with their kits to Instagram, captioned #NoMoreSecrets. The week following Gwynedd’s Day of Service, the school community donated hundreds of “Respect the Dot” kits, which will be donated to women within Ms. Medley’s organization. The student body, faculty, staff, and administration may not have been able to come together for the project, but the community’s combined efforts proved Gwynedd had a very successful and very merciful MLK Day of Service.