MGM Resorts and local nonprofit Project Marilyn have partnered to provide over 10,000 Clark County School District students with a “Grow with the Flow,” period supply kit this school year. Nationally, period poverty is at a shameful and seldom-discussed all-time high, affecting 2 in 5 people who menstruate. These people cannot afford period supplies, which leads to the loss of time at school, work and other crucial life events. Period supplies are not covered by any Federal Assistance Programs, such as SNAP, because they are still classified as luxury items. Project Marilyn was founded in 2019 by Wendi Schweigart to help address the issues of period poverty and provide supplies to anyone who needs them, so that everyone has a healthy and dignified period. PERIOD.
This is the second time Project Marilyn has supplied “Grow with the Flow” kits to all of the 5th grade girls in CCSD, which are handed out during their Growth and Development Classes throughout the year. The program started when Wendi was discussing the issue of period poverty with CCSD’s Health Services Office. After learning the district no longer had a vendor who was able to provide small kits of period supplies for students, Project Marilyn was happy to lean in and fill the void.
“While Project Marilyn feels everyone deserves to be able to care for themselves during their period, our hearts especially go out to our student population,” shared Schweigart. “1 in 4 girls misses school each month because they don’t have proper period supplies. A young girl’s education suffers greatly when they have to miss school for days at a time every month. It is important to eliminate barriers preventing our students from attending school because Every Day Matters for successful academic outcomes,” said Clark County School District Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara. “I want to thank Project Marilyn and MGM Resorts for providing needed support to ensure more of our young women have the supplies they need to be in school.”
To date this year, Project Marilyn has distributed over 22,000 of these period kits to the 5 th grade students and plans to continue the project year after year with the assistance of partners like MGM Resorts. MGM Resorts donated an incredible 60,000 pads for this project and over 100 employees volunteered to pack them. This resulted in 10,000 kits being packed at the MGM Grand property in just one day, an amazing feat. “Giving and volunteerism are central tenants in our commitment to embracing humanity and giving back to the communities that have welcomed us,” said Maria Gatti, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Engagement at MGM Resorts. “We are proud to support organizations like Project Marilyn, which meet real and urgent needs of people in our communities.”
Project Marilyn works alongside many community partners to address the critical need in the Vegas Valley for those without access to period supplies, these include: The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Clark County School District, LVMPD, Henderson Libraries, Shine a Light, The Just One Project, Baby’s Bounty and many more. To donate funds for period supplies, visit https://projectmarilyn.com/.
ABOUT PROJECT MARILYN
The mission of Project Marilyn is to ensure everyone has a healthy and dignified period. PERIOD. Project Marilyn assembles period kits and distributes them to other nonprofits. Period supplies are often overlooked so Project Marilyn is working to fill that void. Project Marilyn officially became a 501(c)3 in April of 2019. The nonprofit organization is named after and dedicated to Wendi’s mom, Marilyn. The logo is her photo and her actual signature from her driver’s license that Wendi kept after she passed away in 2011 from breast cancer. “We miss my mom very much and to see her face every day makes me feel like she’s still with us.” For more information please visit https://projectmarilyn.com/.
