NEW Leadership Oregon Board members and alumnae joined together for the second year in a row to give back on the Martin Luther King Holiday as part of the National Day of Service called for by President Obama.

On January 18th, we assembled care packages for sexual assault victims. When sexual assault victims make police reports, their clothing is often taken from them at the hospital as evidence. The hospital is then in a bind to give the women something to wear home, which often is wax paper clothing which is really scratchy and rough. The Assistance League of Portland distributes these care packages to local emergency rooms. The care packages are especially important for homeless women who have been assaulted and have few other belongings.

Promoting our event through the Serve.gov site was a tremendous asset in helping us extend our reach to new friends of NEW Leadership Oregon. Through the generous time commitment from alumnae and board members and in-kind donations from local businesses (Lucy Activewear, Real Deals on Alberta) and fellow community members, we were able to exceed our goal of 30 care packages:

• 35 complete care packages of various sizes.
• many more full toiletry care packages with new pairs of underwear.
• Multiple items that could not be used in the care packages, but were donated to other organizations who provide services to women.

We will be partnering with the Assistance League of Portland again in 2011 to make this National Day of Service an annual event for NEW Leadership Oregon alumnae and board member and our broader network of friends.

For more information on how to get involved with NEW Leadership Oregon's National Day of Service, please contact Nova Newcomer, Head of Community Outreach.