San Lorenzo girl scouts launch initiative to normalize menstruation
SAN LORENZO, Calif. — In their pursuit of a community impact award, three Girl Scouts hailing from San Lorenzo are spearheading an initiative to destigmatize menstruation among their peers.
The San Lorenzo Unified School District shared in a press release that the trio, consisting of Mariah Main and Haylee Ijames, freshmen at Arroyo High School, and Samantha O’Brien, an eighth-grader at Anthony Ochoa Middle School in Hayward, are raising awareness about menstruation and making period products more accessible at district schools. The girls are assembling “period packs,” containing essential items for those starting their menstrual journeys. These packs will be kept in school offices for when students are caught unprepared. Additionally, they are sharing resources and useful information through their website, mybodymyperiod.com.
“We wanted to find stuff in our community we wanted to change,” O’Brien said in a statement. “Something I really noticed, both at my elementary school and at my middle school, is that there’s a large stigma around having a period. So, I’m like, ‘Oh, we should do this for our award to inform our community that it’s not a gross thing, it’s a natural thing.’”
Collaborating with Diana Maravilla, the district’s health and wellness coordinator, the girls are also working on creating distinctive bright blue stickers to go on feminine hygiene dispensers to combat vandalization. The stickers, slated to be finalized this fall, convey a clear message: “Menstrual products are not to be wasted. Period.”
To help the girls with their project, visit their Amazon Wish List at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2EH1OZJTWMJ13 or send a payment to their Venmo account @troop33811.
Eden area residents may get new mailing addresses
Mail delivered to the Eden area often designates the city on the addresses as either Hayward or San Leandro. Soon, however, those addresses could reflect the specific communities in which residents reside.
On Thursday, Sept. 21, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized the Community Development Agency to formally request a change in place names from the U.S. Postal Service so that residents in Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview and Hayward Acres have addresses that match the community in which they reside rather than the nearest city. About 75,000 addresses are expected to be affected by the change and residents could opt to continue using the old place name.
The county had the option to request USPS adjust zip code boundaries to better match Eden area communities. Staff recommended against it. Such a realignment would entail sending out surveys to all affected addresses. To proceed, at least 50% of the surveys would need to be returned, and, of the returned surveys, half would have to endorse the change. Even then, there would be no assurance of approval from the USPS.
