Days for Girls’ Zion welcomes speaker

CRESCO - Zion Cresco Days for Girls’ Team welcomes guest speaker Carol Redlinger of Riceville to the United Methodist Church Circle meeting in Cresco Wednesday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m. She has worked in Africa and has seen how the Day for Girls kits help change lives,

The public is invited to attend and to learn more about the work of Days for Girls, and how the local team that sew cloth feminine hygiene products for impoverished women and girls in other countries is making a difference a world away.

Gaye Pedersen, who serves as co-leader of the team with her best friend of 40 years, Marge Johnson, said the Zion Methodist Church group has grown in recent months as more people in the area have heard about Days for Girls and its mission.

“We have grown from five people to at least 10 if not more,” Pedersen said. “We have had so many donations: We have had money donated. We have received a Thrivent grant. We have had material donated. This is a cause we really believe in, and we are committed to this mission. We feel we’re making a difference for so many, who have so little.”

In addition to a previous feature article published in the Cresco Times, Pedersen said news of the group’s existence and mission spread by word of mouth and from fliers she distributed.

The group also recently applied for and was accepted as an official Days for Girls International team. In a letter sent to Pedersen:

‘We wish to welcome and congratulate you as the newest Team of Days for Girls International. This letter officially recognizes the Cresco, Iowa Team as an endorsed Team of Days for Girls International. The Team has agreed to support the Days for Girls International mission and has been given a certified identification number. This Team is now authorized to function in accordance with the values and guidelines as documented in the Days for Girls International Leader Handbook and has the rights and responsibilities extended to all teams by Days for Girls International.

‘Your contributions as a team will raise awareness, promote self-esteem for volunteers and multiply results that will change the lives of girls and women worldwide. Please accept our enthusiastic and sincere welcome to the Days for Girls team.’

Pedersen said the team status is advantageous for the local group. “We’ve met almost monthly since last June, and recently received our  status. This allows us to purchase Days for Girls-specific supplies, get credit for what we sew, communicate with our own email address (crescoia@daysforgirls.org), and attract new members,” she said. 

To that end, the Zion team continues to grow, welcoming new members who wish to join their efforts to make a difference.

“We have two ladies here cutting fabric, and they are new to our group today,” Pedersen said. “We can sew at home, but also here (at Cresco’s First United Methodist Church) and have fellowship and camaraderie, and get to know each other better.” The ladies meet at First since their rural Zion church is limited in space and is not heated during the week.

Pedersen credits her co-leader and best friend Marge Johnson with helping take on leadership responsibilities.

“Marge got the Thrivent grant, has bought multiple amount of fabric, found sites online to buy ribbon, and the waterproof lining, and is also a fantastic seamstress,” Pedersen said. “When we first started, we learned about Days for Girls in a United Methodist Women (UMW) lesson book. I did the research and when it came time, I stepped up and offered to be a leader, and then Marge stepped up to be co-leader, so that has taken some pressure off of me,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen stresses the Zion Team is non-denominational in nature, and welcomes anyone interested in helping the cause, including people who don’t sew.

“Our group has grown by leaps and bounds. We welcome anyone, even if they don’t sew. We need fabric cut, ironing, and threading ribbon through the bags.”

Pedersen said the group gathers once per month at the Cresco United Methodist Church.

 “We try to sew as a group one day a month. The interest we have had is just amazing,” she said.

While Pedersen isn’t certain of how many sewn items the Cresco group has sent to Cedar Rapids Days for Girls, she notes, “We sew three different items for the kits and think we’ve sent enough bags, shields and liners to make around 200 kits, since we started sewing last June.” (A kit contains one bag, two shields and eight liners.)

Just in February, the group sent 56 shields, 183 liners and 53 bags. They’ve also sent 30 wash cloths, 304 gallon Ziploc bags, 88 pairs of panties and maybe 100+ hotel-sized bars of soap, she added.

The kits are then sent to Africa and impoverished countries to help girls and women acquire means to control their monthly menstrual cycle. According to the website daysforgirls.org: ‘Without a solution to manage her monthly cycle: one in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, 113 million adolescent girls in India and 30 percent of girls in rural Brazil will miss school this year. Around the world, girls and women resort to using rags, mattress stuffing, banana leaves, feathers, and even cow dung to manage their menstruation. Days for Girls provides a safe, beautiful, washable, and long-lasting alternative — along with vital health education.’

Pedersen says the Days for Girls Team welcomes donations, such as fabric, but certain rules apply.

“Fabric must be 100-percent cotton for the shields, preferably in dark colors, but no black, white, and no pattern with people, animals, or anything with eyes,” she said. “We generally stick with floral, plaid and small geometric prints.”

For more information about how to join or donate to the Zion Cresco Iowa Day for Girls Team, call either Marge Johnson at 563-547-4588 or Gaye Pedersen at 563-547-3342. For more information about Days for Girl International, visit their website at: https://www.daysforgirls.org/.