A powerful reminder they are not alone

UC Davis employees from both the Sacramento and Davis campuses volunteered at the Women’s Empowerment Clothing Closet & Resource Giveaway event this month.

"Our Clothing Closet/Resource Giveaway would not have been possible without support from our amazing community partner volunteers. Graduates that attended the Giveaway were reconnected to services and able to access essential resources like hygiene supplies, clothing, and PPE,” wrote Zoe Fishman, development management at Women’s Empowerment (WE).

Due to an overwhelmingly positive amount of donations from community members over the past year, WE staff decided to create a meaningful “shopping” experience for their WE program graduates.

According to WE staff, several program students and graduates have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. “Support from our community partner volunteers truly serves as a powerful reminder to these women that they are not alone, and that they have a whole community of support as they work towards their goals,” Fishman said.

The mission of Women’s Empowerment is to educate and empower women—including people who identify as non-binary genders and feel they belong in the community of cis and trans women—who are experiencing homelessness with the skills and confidence necessary to get a job, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and regain a home for themselves and their children.

Rack of clothing for the Women’s Empowerment event

Annie Caruso, chief administrative officer for health equity, diversity and inclusion at UC Davis Health, expressed how much she enjoyed the volunteer experience.

“Their shared laughter and excitement were heartfelt and incredibly uplifting as they modeled their closet finds and struck poses in the mirrors. It was an experience I won’t soon forget,” Caruso said.

Evelyn Arechiga, benefits analyst at UC Davis, was also grateful to give back to the community.

“It was a humbling experience being around these strong women who have been through so much,” said Arechiga.

WE staff were incredibly thoughtful about the wellness and safety of everyone on-site and had both volunteers and WE program graduates go through a wellness screening test. Additionally, everyone was masked and remained socially distanced for the entirety of the event.

Evelyn Arechiga displaying purses available to graduates of the Women’s Empowerment program

New volunteers are always welcome. Women’s Empowerment will be hosting a volunteer orientation on Wednesday, August 18, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. There are several upcoming virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities.

Please Note: WE has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy requiring all in-person volunteers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. All in-person volunteers must have completed their vaccination at least two weeks prior to their in-person volunteer opportunity.

Visit the Women’s Empowerment website to learn more about the program and upcoming volunteer opportunities.

For information about employee volunteerism, please contact Carolyn Ramirez at cjramirez@ucdavis.edu.