EMPOWERED WOMEN: SERVING ALL CHILDREN

While serving children's initiatives has become synonymous with Tri Sigma, these three members have made it their personal mission to make sure it includes children who are sometimes overlooked. Sierra Lykins, Eta Kappa, visited with these women to learn more about the children and causes they serve.

Mary Catherine Steed Hartley, Delta Delta–University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What organization do you volunteer with?
I volunteer with 0 Eckerd Connects in various capacities, throughout the community and as needs arise. I also work with various other local organizations.

What is the mission of Eckerd Connects?
To provide and share solutions that promote the well-being of those in need and strives to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed. This speaks to me in both my career and volunteer work.

How did you get involved with Eckerd Connects?
I learned about the organization through a colleague and began volunteering for them while serving on our county's Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. I joined their staff for about 7 years and continued as a volunteer afterward. When looking at the various community projects, we select opportunities that provide enrichment for youth and help meet the needs of the community.

Professionally and as a volunteer, I work with boys ages 13-17 on juvenile probation who are court ordered to live in a residential facility and maintain connections with them as a supportive and caring adult after they leave the program. Some have been involved with gangs, some have felonies on their records, many live in poverty, some have been expelled or have been in trouble at school, some have been in foster care—but almost all of them have experienced trauma and loss, and they all need a second chance to find success.

What inspires you to continue working with formerly incarcerated youth? I love seeing them gain confidence, overcome challenges, improve decision making, build communication and coping skills, and learn to trust people. The transformation is amazing to watch. I also love seeing them laugh and enjoy childhood in ways they haven't been able to in the past.

What role has Tri Sigma played in your volunteerism? Since joining Tri Sigma, I have learned the importance of consistency in volunteering. It is so rewarding to see longer-term results of volunteer efforts.

What is your favorite part about volunteering with Eckerd Connects? I love hearing from those who are no longer in the program. Many contact us to share success stories—like getting their first jobs, joining a school team, graduating from high school, attending college, giving back to their own communities, and becoming parents. Sometimes they call us when they are struggling and this reinforces the bonds of trust that we have created. They know they can count on us to support them and not judge their situation.

What is something Eckerd Connects has accomplished that you are proud of? The thing that makes me the most proud is to see how the youth are impacted by the power of volunteer work. We have an annual event where we package and distribute 10,000 meals to local families in need (it's not always who you think!) and provide holiday gifts for 300 children. I have seen teenage boys tearful and transformed by their experiences helping others. Their commitment to helping others in their own communities is inspiring.

How can someone get involved with Eckerd Connects? Eckerd Connects is in many states and is always looking for volunteers and mentors for its youth and adult programs. A potential volunteer can contact the local office to request info about the community's needs.

What is something you wish people knew about formerly incarcerated youth? I wish people understood they are just kids who have made poor decisions. They have been judged only by their actions and not their true character. When you get to know them, you meet boys who are smart, creative, funny, talented, athletic, artistic, loving, protective, and articulate. They have big dreams for their lives. Each of them deserves to be treated with respect and given the opportunity to succeed.

Jocelyn Harper, Alpha Beta–Kent State University

What organization do you volunteer with? Margie's Hope

What is their mission? Margie's Hope provides resources and services to enrich the lives of transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive people in Northeast Ohio. Margie’s Hope offers resources and support through various community programs and a not-for-profit resale store called Margie’s Closet.

How did you get involved with Margie’s Hope? I was looking for opportunities to put allyship into action and just happened to meet some of their volunteers while attending Akron Pride in 2019. I requested more information about Margie's Kids, a program that provides a safe space for kids to have fun and be themselves. The founder called me to set up an interview and the rest, as they say, is history.

What inspires you to continue volunteering with transgender youth? Silence is violence. In neutrality, we choose the side of the oppressor. Trans youth cannot afford silence or neutrality with regard to their very lives.

What role has Tri Sigma played in your volunteerism? In a past Convention luncheon, Kelly Jo Karnes, Pi–Emporia State University, reminded us that apathy has no place in Tri Sigma. That quote challenged me in many ways and changed the way I view injustice in this world. Tri Sigma continues to inspire me to fight apathy every single day in my volunteer life. When the work is hard or emotional or doesn't garner applause, I keep going. I owe that drive to Sigma.

What is something Margie’s Hope has accomplished that you are proud of? I'm proudest of Margie's Closet, a gender-affirming thrift store in the Cleveland area. The store opened in 2021 and has become a source of community and support for trans youth and adults in the area. While clothing is donated and sold in the store at various price points, 100% of the profits benefit Margie's Hope's local programs and outreach efforts.

How can someone get involved? Get in touch with whoever is doing this work in your local area. If you're not sure who that is, start by attending Pride or visit 0 hrc.org/get-involved to find other LGBTQ+ events in your area.

What is something you wish people knew about transgender youth? They are just kids. The only “trans agenda” is making it to adulthood and living a happy and fulfilling life.

Emily Murphy, Iota Alpha–Alumnae Initiate

What organization do you volunteer with? Unsilenced is a non-profit organization that serves past, present, and future victims of institutional child abuse. One of the largest culprits of this abuse is a network of unregulated and powerful congregate care facilities that claim to reform youth struggling with mental health or educational challenges, often referred to as the troubled teen industry.

Instead of receiving therapeutic services and education targeted to at-risk youth, many young people experience maltreatment, psychological harm, sexual and bodily assault, physical and medical neglect, a variety of civil rights violations, and, in some cases, hospitalization or even death.

What is the mission of Unsilenced? Our mission is to stop institutional child abuse by empowering self-advocates to promote lasting social change. Utilizing education, awareness, community support, and policy change, Unsilenced aims to protect the civil, social, and human rights of youth.

How did you get involved with Unsilenced? In 2020, Paris Hilton released a documentary on YouTube called “This is Paris,” where she bravely shared her story as a survivor of one of these facilities. I started researching what was being done to stop these facilities from operating.

I found advocacy and survivor communities, ultimately leading to me joining their volunteer team at the founding in early 2022. I’ve helped with marketing, communications, and PR needs ever since.

What inspires you to continue working to abolish the troubled teen industry? My own experience. I attended a now-closed “therapeutic boarding school” in the desert of Utah for a total of 21 months from 20042005, and returned home just shy of my 17th birthday. While there, I experienced a variety of problematic and violating abuses, including forced silence and isolation, attack therapy, limited access to medical care, not being allowed to look out of any windows or doors, monitored phone calls and censored mail, and brainwashing techniques.

Because of this, I have seen and felt the impact facilities like these have on young people—both during their stays and for the rest of their lives.

What role has Tri Sigma played in your want to volunteer in general? To receive much, you must give much. It’s a short but powerful and true statement that can apply to all facets of life, Tri Sigma and beyond. Volunteerism is time-consuming and can be emotionally taxing—especially in this space—but the rewards are more than worth it.

What is your favorite part about volunteering with Unsilenced? Besides the impact of this work on the community of those who have lived through it, I would say the relationships I’ve built. I’ve made some incredible friends who share similar experiences, and it’s nice to have people who can relate to my story.

What is something Unsilenced has accomplished that you are proud of? Unsilenced and the survivor community were at the forefront of helping get a notoriously bad facility shut down in August 2023.

Diamond Ranch Academy was forced to close permanently after allegations of abuse, medical neglect, and the deaths of multiple people in its care—including 17-year-old Taylor Goodridge in December 2022.

When the team received news of this closure, a few of us were coincidentally on a Zoom call regarding another matter, and we immediately started cheering and crying. While my part in the closure was small and mostly related to social media, getting the word out made an impact. No more children can be hurt at the hands of that facility.

What is something you wish people knew about the troubled teen industry? Simply put, that they know about it at all. It’s estimated 120,000-200,000 young people are placed in the care of these under-regulated facilities every year, and very few people know about it. Chances are, there’s one of these facilities in your backyard, and you probably know someone who’s either been to or sent a child to one without knowing about the deceptive practices used to recruit more kids.

If someone asked you how to get involved with Unsilenced, how would they? We’re always looking for more people to join the cause. You can learn more and join the movement at unsilenced.org