Having spent the past two weeks cutting, creating and preparing pins and keychains to sell, Feminist Club debuted their craftsmanship Nov. 12 as a fundraiser for the Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Program (IRWP).
“We used to sell candy canes and candy cane grams, but we couldn’t do that this year because of the new food policy,” senior and co-leader of Feminist Club Allani Gordon said. “We thought pins and keychains were more versatile because each one could be different while all promoting positive messages.”
The Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Program is a local organization created to aid women arriving in St. Louis from foreign countries.
“The immigrant refugee crisis that is still ongoing and the prejudices immigrants in America face, however legal they may be, are important issues to bring awareness to,” senior and co-leader of Feminist Club Lizzy Calvert said.
Last year, the Feminist Club set up tables at both lunches selling candy cane grams and collected donations for the Malala Fund.
“It is so important for us as teens, but also as members of Feminist Club to be involved in our community,” sophomore Ulaa Kuziez said. “It is crucial that we support and help underrepresented groups because those are important steps that help make a positive difference in our local community.”
The club also hopes to create a signature drink at Blew Brew as another way to encourage students to give money to the IRWP.
“We haven’t passed it through administration yet, but the idea is to make a drink that can be sold and have some of the proceeds go to our philanthropy,” Calvert said. “As for future fundraising opportunities, we’re always welcome to new ideas. I think what’s next on our agenda is a book drive and possibly another speaker.”
The pins and keychains were sold for $1 each and depicted images promoting girl power and supporting diversity.
“They had phrases such as ‘girls support girls’ and ‘all of us or none’ alongside images of women protesting. We also made sure to include iconic women such as Frida Kahlo, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Malala Yousafzai,” Gordon said. “We wanted people to be able to donate to a larger scale organization helping women and children while promoting support within their own community as well.”
After nearly selling out in the first three days, the club has already begun making more to continue selling throughout the semester.
“Feminist Club has provided the necessary space for students to engage in important conversations. Feminist Club gives students a voice,” Kuziez said. “I hope that we can continue being involved in our community and in actions that make a positive difference. Most importantly, I hope we can become leaders of change.”
