Over 100 boxes of feminine products were donated to Houston Area Women’s Center(HAWC) as of January 31st. This was thanks to the wonderful organization of the WISH (Women Inspire Social Harmony) club here at CVHS. Aarushi Pant, the president of the organization here at Carnegie, began this club this year. 

WISH is a chapter organization, meaning there are multiple “chapters” or clubs and Pant runs one of them at our school.  Aarushi knows that her members are fully engaged and involved in her club, which was proven by the outcome of her drive. 

“I’d say we actually got a lot of engagement, especially when our (donation) drive came around a lot of people donated and it was a lot more than I expected. And I’m really happy that our club has gotten so much bigger from like, only a few people to like, a lot more now that are engaged with it,” said Pant.   

WISH organized a donation drive to collect period products for a women’s shelter here in Houston.  HAWC is a shelter/ call center for women who are in abusive relationships or homes. They provide shelter services for women and their children when they’ve escaped an abusive home. Their call center helps inform women on what they can do to leave those situations and get to a safer place. 

“I was sitting down and I was thinking like, what can we do to like, actually make an impact and I thought that a really big thing is that a lot of people can’t afford lunch or products just because of how expensive they are like $8 a box like every month, especially because they’re also taxes and stuff like that,” 

Aarushi’s inspiration for the drive came from her observation of how expensive a box of tampons is. As it is also a shelter, there is a constant need for feminine products. Women who have just been relieved of those situations take comfort in the products provided by the shelter. Organizing this drive allowed the students here at CVHS to help others out.

Aarushi was able to collect 142 boxes of feminine products to HAWC, with the help of an outside donor who donated around 15-20 boxes. Since the outcome of the drive, Aarushi has bigger plans for her club coming later this year. 

“We’re going to see like, what, like people in the club one, especially because I want to make sure that their voices are heard and see what people think is our next step and we’ll go that direction.” 

Pant he wants the voices of her club members heard and she plans to incorporate their ideas into the future of the club. Aarushi hasn’t been the president of the club long but has an obvious passion, she says that since she has been president she has been exposed to many new perspectives and ideas to the club’s cause. She also says that her club members are engaged and provide different answers and she’s proud of her club’s turnout. 

As for the future of the club, once she graduates, Aarushi plans to pass the club on to a promising underclassman that has a clear passion for the cause. She wants to keep the club in good hands and wants to see it flourish even after she graduates. Make sure to visit her club meetings to learn more about how to be more involved!