“Safe cosmetics”–before  January of this year, that term meant nothing to me.  By the time this past semester rolled around, I began to understand the importance of safe cosmetics through the Supporting a Cause curriculum.  The girls made natural beauty products to sell at the end of the semester.  The girls orchestrated the sale, then donated the profits to a cause of their choice.
Fast forward to summer, and I’m an intern, with a Big Girl wardrobe and a Big Girl desk at the Pittsburgh SWSG office.  With being a Big Girl comes Big Girl responsibilities–I got a speaking engagement on a panel for safe cosmetics a couple of weeks after starting my internship.
Then, Big Girl anxiety sets in– for the presentation, I had to represent an organization, represent my chapter, represent my co-mentors, and represent the girls.
I found out soon after I was asked to serve on this panel how the money raised from our sale ($36.05!) was to be used by our cause, the Batch Foundation in Homestead, PA:  we have programming within the Batch Foundation, so the girls donated to the Foundation with the intent of installing a water fountain.  Whenever our site facilitator told the building’s plumber of our sale, he was so touched he is planning on building a water fountain this summer.
The fact that the girls I mentor could create such tangible impact to their community is just one of the reasons I rededicate myself to this organization–one of many “mission moments.”  It proves to me, once again, that girls can do exactly anything they put their minds to.
After hearing what became of our $36.05, and after the shock and happiness, I realized that because I’m a girl, even if I’m a Big Girl, I can do exactly anything I want to do.