about Us- BRAWS

BRAWS named nominee for greater washington good business awards!

BRAWS has been named a nominee for the Greater Washington Good Business Awards in the Non-Profit of the Year category! These awards honor and celebrate the leadership of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits that serve as powerful champions for good in our community. Thank you to the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce for recognizing our work! #GoodBizAwards

Celebrating International WomEn’s Day

BRAWS celebrated International Women's Day with the screening of the Oscar winning movie, "Period. End of Sentence." This 26-minute documentary highlights the ways that women are combating the crushing stigma of menstruation and improving accessibility of sanitary products in rural India. So thankful for everyone’s participation on our panel and our Moderator, Catherine S. Read. Click here for more info

Our 5th Annual Mardi Bras- A Huge Success!

Mardi Bras is our largest fundraiser of the year - bringing in the funds to support over half of our annual budget! Money raised from this year's Mardi Bras will be used to purchase menstrual supplies and undergarments for shelters and schools in our community in 2019!

Thanks to all of our Sponsors and Supporters for making this year’s event such a huge success!!!! Enjoy photos courtesy of Images for Good!

our annual report has been released!

Click HERE to see our 17-18 Annual Report for more information on what we were up to this year!

BRAWS Partners with town of Vienna to LAUNCH first TOWN DISPENSER PROGRAM in Virginia

September 21, 2018- BRAWS has launched the "Dignity in Public" initiative in partnership with the Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation Department. This initiative will place dispensers in two of the newly renovated Vienna Community Center bathrooms and one in the Town Green restroom. These machines will dispense FREE pads and tampons, thanks to generous donations from the Vienna Woman's Club, the Govan Real Estate Group and Tim & Julianna Chapman of Chapman Development. Read more HERE.

Don't Miss This! The electronic version of "Periods, Poverty, and the Need for Policy: A Report on Menstrual Inequity in the United States" is ready for release and is available here! This comprehensive document is a must read to understand the issues around menstrual equality as well as what you can do to join BRAWS in bringing equity to women and girls! Special thanks to the UDC Legislation Clinic for all of their hard work in authoring this report on behalf of BRAWS!

Our own Holly Seibold, Executive Director and Founder of BRAWS has been appointed by the Governor to Virginia’s Council on Women. The purpose of the Council is to “identify ways in which women can reach their potential and make their full contribution to society and the Commonwealth.” She has dedicated the last 20 years to this mission, and is so excited for the opportunity to now represent the state of Virginia in this endeavor. Thank you for the support and encouragement so many have shown to BRAWS and to Holly! Read more HERE

huge thanks for the support of our
Mardi bras 2019 sponsors!

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our story | founder, holly siebold

four years ago, our founder Holly Seibold wanted to do something to help women in local homeless shelters. She held a small collection drive at her house, inviting friends and neighbors to donate. They collected over 300 new bras, as well as underwear, pads, and tampons. Holly brought the items to three shelters in the area and soon other shelters were reaching out to her, requesting she hold more donation drives. Holly quickly discovered that the things she collected are some of the most rarely donated because they are expensive for shelters to replenish and not covered by food stamps.

Since then, BRAWS has donated thousands of bras, pairs of underwear, and packages of menstrual supplies to over 40 area shelters and approximately 4,000 women and girls in the DC metro area. At any given time, the majority of individuals in a homeless shelter are women and their children. They are typically victims of domestic violence fleeing from abusive homes or are single mothers who have lost their jobs due to unforeseen circumstances and need help getting back on their feet.

Regardless of the situation that led these women to homelessness, they need physical and mental support to transition to better lives for themselves and their children. Our mission is to provide them not only with tangible items they need, but to empower them to gain independence and stability.