Our recurring series Women Who Inspire showcases businesswomen and entrepreneurs making a difference in our communities. Like everything else in the world today, the women we’ve spotlighted and the work they do are affected by the pandemic. As one might expect, these inspirational women are responding. It doesn’t surprise me all. It confirms what I saw that inspired me in the first place. There is more good than bad in our world! That should give us all hope and inspiration.
Read on for more information about what they are doing to help.
Reshma Saujani – Girls Who Code
On March 23rd, with schools closing across the world, Girls Who Code announced that its curricula would be available to download for free. The activities include tutorials on binary coding bracelets, python, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and more. It also features women in tech to inspire girls with role models working in the field. The organization will release new activities every week.
“Our biggest acts of bravery, innovation, and courage come during times of crisis—and that’s especially true when it comes to women and girls,” said Reshma. “We wanted to provide support for parents busy working from home, options for educators in need of remote work, and—of course—inspiration for our girls who are out there eager to learn and thinking about how to help their communities.”
In April they announced the launch of a free virtual video series to support young women navigating changes to their college and career plans during the pandemic, Girls Who Code Talk. The series is open to anyone via Zoom and will feature experts in career counseling, college admissions, wellness spaces and more, including Derek Brinkley, Assistant VP of College Admission at Columbia College in Chicago and Mariela Regalado, former Director of College Counseling at Juan Morel Campos Secondary School. Seeing the need to pivot and adapt to the circumstances to find a solution is how Girls Who Code began, so it’s not a surprise that they are doing so now.
Jasmine Crow – Goodr
The effects of the pandemic have demonstrated what Jasmine Crowe has always said, “Hunger is not an issue of scarcity; it’s a matter of logistics.” We’ve all seen the upheaval caused across America as supply chains are disrupted. Since the beginning, Goodr has been relying on the foundation they’ve built, the processes and solutions they know work, while ramping up their capacity and reach in response to the need.
Since the end of March, in partnership with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm, they’ve been sponsoring pop-up markets on Fridays in different neighborhoods in Atlanta. Individuals leave with about 20 pounds of food depending on their family size, as well as other essential items. Goodr has also been making in-home deliveries to senior citizens and quarantined families, and they are working with the Atlanta Public Schools to deliver meals to students. They estimate they’re making about 1,000 deliveries a week. Crowe has also been fielding calls from other cities on how their operation works, hoping to replicate their success.
She reminds us though, “The view from the front lines is grim. Researchers predict 80,000 people in the US will die from the virus by July. However, hunger is a problem as serious and as immediate. Before COVID-19, food insecurity was a daily reality for 820+ million people worldwide, 42 million of whom are in the US…[but] if the larger social and political forces don’t start problem-solving around food scarcity, there’s going to be health problems that far exceed the damage caused directly by the virus.”
Nicole Lacob – Warriors Community Foundation
In early March, the Warriors Community Foundation established a Disaster Relief Fund to, in part, provide assistance to employees who work at Warriors’ games and are sidelined along with the rest of the sports world. The Warriors employ more than 1,000 part-time employees who work in various functions at each game, including food service, security, guest services, custodial, and more.
In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day, the Foundation and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced a $250,000 contribution to the Oakland and San Francisco Unified School Districts to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes a $100,000 contribution from Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. Foundation President Nicole Lacob arranged a Foundation match of Kerr’s. The donation will be split equally between the two school districts and funds will be used to purchase hundreds of laptops and internet hotspots for Bay Area youth, to continue physically-distant learning and aid in teacher-student connectivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a former high school educator, I am well-versed in some of the obstacles today’s teachers and students face with budgets, resources, and technology needs,” said Lacob. “We’re extremely grateful to be in a position to assist during this time of need, as well as to honor our teachers on National Teacher Appreciation Day.”
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I want to thank these women and everyone who is helping to find solutions to the problems this disease is causing. It is all of us working together that will get us through this. I encourage everyone to do something no matter how simple or small it may seem. Aside from helping others, it will make you feel better!
Share your own story of inspiration in the comments and contact us for career assistance.
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