It was a fabulous day!
Time of the Month Club held its first ever kick-off lunch on September 24, 2019. Made possible by the generous support of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and Old National Bank, the lunch drew fifty women (and one man) from all parts of the Milwaukee area.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic spoke to us on the issue of menstrual equity, highlighting efforts to provide free menstrual supplies in the Milwaukee County Courthouse and Coggs Center. She talked about the need to broaden this campaign to make free menstrual products as common as paper towels and toilet paper in public bathrooms. It’s an equity issue, Marina said, girls and women shouldn’t be held back from participating in anything because of their periods.
Katie Silva spoke about her homeless experience. She described the typical day as having to always be on the move, being able to stay at a McDonald’s, for instance, for just thirty minutes before being told to leave. She talked about going back to her camp to find all her things stolen – her tent, her clothes, everything. She talked about addiction and recovery and surprised the group when she told them that she went into detox and completed inpatient treatment and then had to go back to the streets because she had no place to live. Still, she spent four months clean on the streets before finding permanent housing and has been clean 2 and a half years in total. Katie is starting her own nonprofit to do outreach with homeless women.
County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, Time of the Month Club Founder Jan Wilberg, United Way Vice President Nicole Angresano, Homeless Advocate Katie Silvak together at the 2019 Time of the Month Club Kick-Off Lunch
