Smiling for Erica

Local Sophomore Devotes Free Time to Support EJH Foundation

During this pandemic, many students are looking for activities to fill the extra time they have at home. Kyndall Griffin decided to spend her spare time giving back to her community. This Walnut Hills High School sophomore (pictured below) is stitching breast cancer ribbons on new bras for the annual Erica J. Holloman (EJH) Bra Drive.

The Erica J. Holloman Foundation For The Awareness of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Foundation) has completed their eleventh annual bra drive this year. For thirty five days, from June 15th to July 19th, new bras are collected from EJH supporters from all over the country. In October, the Foundation has a bra stitching event where each bra is hand-stitched with a ribbon that reads, “Smiling For Erica”.

Once the bras have received their ribbon, they are donated to various shelters and programs supporting women’s needs, as well as to women in underserved communities, and through disaster relief efforts.

This is not Kyndall’s first time stitching ribbons on bras for the EJH Bra Drive. She has been donating her time, sowing ribbons, for the last four years. When Kyndall was asked why it is important for her to stitch the ribbons she said, “It is important to realize how blessed and privileged I am and take that privilege and use it in a positive way to give back to others”. Kydall continued to say, “Due to being able to spend some time with Ms. Erica, and knowing all the amazing things about what she did and who she was, I want to carry on her legacy and make her proud of who I have grown to be today”.

After stitching on hundreds of ribbons, Kyndall had the opportunity this year to actually participate in the delivery of some of the bras. After learning why these women need something most take for granted, Kyndall has a little better understanding of the world today and a feeling that she hopefully made someone smile when they receive a new bra with the words “Smiling For Erica” stitched on it.

Kyndall Griffin is an honor student, student-athlete, and a young ambassador for The Erica J. Foundation For The Awareness of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. The Foundation has donated over 6,000 new bras over the past eleven years. This event continues to be a great success thanks to volunteers like Kyndall. Thanks Kyndall. We applaud you!”