On January 23, 2025, the first free period supply machine was installed at Gwendolyn Wooley Elementary School, one of 55 CCSD elementary schools supported by Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada.
The installation comes on the heels of a September 2024 announcement by Project Marilyn that it would donate 55 free-vend period supply machines to elementary schools throughout Clark County. Project Marilyn, a Nevada nonprofit working to end period poverty, currently supplies feminine hygiene products to all 26 middle and high schools supported by CIS.
By the end of February, Project Marilyn plans to complete the installation of 55 period supply machines in nearly all elementary schools supported by CIS, ensuring that all 81 elementary, middle, and high schools supported by CIS can provide students with free access to feminine hygiene products. Each machine will contain organic products and be maintained regularly to ensure a steady supply.
The machines will be located in resource rooms operated by Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada, and/or in the nurse’s offices at participating elementary schools. Resource rooms are open to all students and provide students with a plethora of wraparound services and emotional support from full-time employees of CIS, with particular focus on students most vulnerable to drop-out.
According to Wendi Schweigart, Founder of Project Marilyn, one in four girls miss school each month because they don’t have proper period supplies. “Ensuring that every student has access to period supplies is crucial to their well-being and ability to focus on their education,” said Schweigert. “By placing these machines in elementary schools, we strive to eliminate stigma and provide support for students who need it. Period supplies are school supplies.”
According to Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO of Communities In Schools of Nevada, this donation marks a significant step forward in ensuring that students have uninterrupted access to essential period supplies during school hours. “No student should have to miss school, just because they don’t have access to period products,” she said. “A steady and free supply of feminine hygiene products promotes health, well-being and inclusivity and plays an important role in creating a supportive environment for our students.”
Chelsea recently joined Project Marilyn’s Executive Director, Wendy Schweigart, on News 3 to discuss this important effort. Be sure to check out the segment here.
About Communities In Schools of Nevada
CIS places full-time and professionally trained site coordinators in 118 Title I and high-needs schools across Nevada to support more than 100,000 students in grades K-12 who face barriers to their success—increasing the likelihood of students staying in school and graduating on time. The organization taps into a statewide network of more than 120 community nonprofits, partners, and agencies, bringing the community into the school to get students whatever they need to overcome the barriers they face that prevent them from achieving academically. From eyeglasses, dental care, health care, and professional counseling to food, school supplies, clothing, and housing, CIS identifies student needs and finds a way to address them, closing the gaps they experience in their everyday lives. CIS’s long-term vision is for every child enrolled in a Title I or high-needs school to access a CIS site coordinator and their evidence-based model of integrated student support, otherwise known as wraparound services. The graduation rate for CIS case-managed high school seniors in Nevada for the 2023-2024 school year was 97 percent. For more information, visit http://www.cisnevada.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Project Marilyn
Project Marilyn is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing menstrual equity and improving access to period products for individuals in need. Through donations, advocacy, and partnerships, Project Marilyn works to eliminate period poverty and ensure that menstruation does not hinder anyone’s ability to participate fully in their education and daily life. The nonprofit organization is named after and dedicated to Wendi’s mom, Marilyn. For more information, visit https://projectmarilyn.com/
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