Alabama State Representative to be sworn in as WIT Chairwoman

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Women in Training (WIT) announced they will swear in Alabama State Representative Rolanda Hollis as the organization’s new board chairwoman.

“WIT’s co-founders, Breanna and Brooke Bennett – who also serve on the board – are my ‘sheroes’ for their work to end period poverty, and it is my honor to work alongside them, the rest of the board and our volunteers to make feminine hygiene products accessible to all girls across the state of Alabama,” said Hollis.

The swearing-in ceremony will occur at the WIT annual meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

“I am pleased to accept the nomination and vote of the Women In Training Board of Trustees, naming me as their chairwoman,” Hollis said. “WIT’s co-founders, Breanna and Brooke Bennett, who also serve on the board, are my ‘sheroes’ for their work to end period poverty, and it is my honor to work alongside them, the rest of the board and our volunteers to make feminine hygiene products accessible to all girls across the state of Alabama.”

Hollis sponsored HB 50, Alabama’s “period poverty” bill, which became law in April of last year after three years of advocacy by Hollis, WIT, and WIT’s supporters. The law allocates $200,000 to the Alabama Department of Education to provide grants for menstrual products to students in Title I schools across the state.

Hollis also connected WIT with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has provided hundreds of turkeys that WIT has given away over the last three years during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also provided volunteers who helped pack and distribute WITKITS and donated supplies to serve 672 families in need after the Selma tornadoes.

“State Rep. Rolanda Hollis has proven herself a tireless advocate of WIT and our mission to end period poverty. We are elated that she has agreed to join the WIT board of trustees as our chairwoman,” said Adeyela Bennett, the CEO of Women in Training. “We could not ask for a more highly esteemed, outspoken, and well-connected individual to lead our organization into the future, a future where no girl will have to miss school or work because she does not have the right products to manage her period.”

Women In Training, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that distributes WITKITS of menstrual, hygiene, and dental products to underserved girls and nonbinary youth.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!