Helping and sharing
My late grandma, who served in World War II as a nurse, left me the advice I've been following all my life: "Be good to people no matter who they are, don't judge them, and you will never have to be sorry in your life."
As an entrepreneur, I feel blessed to be able to help more people than I ever imagined. Here are the most significant projects that we are involved with as Genial Day in the U.S. and Gentle Day in Europe.
Reaching Women in Need With Period.org
I’m a woman, mother, and wife who also happens to run an international business. I feel grateful and privileged to be able to help other women--mothers and daughters--in need.
Life is not always easy, and anyone can find themselves in a situation when they need the support of others. That’s why we’ve partnered with PERIOD.ORG, the world’s largest youth-run nonprofit that gives women access to the period products they need to feel confident and clean every menstruation cycle, no matter their income. With their help, we’ll be able to reach out to women and teens in need.
For every 9 pads, liners or cups sold, Genial Day donates 1 package to a menstruator in need.
Raising a Generation of Confident Teen Girls
Knowledge empowers. As I watched my daughter grow, I realized the importance of trust and open communication around the issues of puberty and menstruation. How we address these topics affect teens’ confidence and psychological well-being.
I’ve always encouraged my daughter to ask me questions and to never feel embarrassed about it. I wanted the same to other girls, so I‘ve started a project called ECO Generation in my native country of Lithuania. The goal is to empower young girls by helping them better understand their bodies and minds during puberty and to introduce them to available menstrual products while emphasizing ecology, sustainability and teaching them proper recycling.
We’ve donated over 50,000 sanitary napkins to local schools. In other words, we've made 50,000 periods go by easier and helped girls just entering womanhood feel more confident and live healthier, more fulfilling, lives.
Keeping Families Together
A visit to the Oncology Department of the Children’s Hospital was heartbreaking. Nothing you do before the visit can prepare you for the range of emotions that overwhelm you once you enter through the hospital doors. Our goal was to spend at least an hour with the mothers of the little patients and brighten their day by focusing on them.
We chatted about our periods. I introduced them to menstrual cups -- many women have never heard of them. My team and I left pink gift bags filled with Genial Day period necessities and left with a feeling that we’ll be back. Turns out, the feeling was right.
The short visit was the start of our friendship with Mamų unija (Mothers’ Union)–a Lithuanian Charity that helps mothers and families of children going through cancer treatment. While at the hospital, I had a privilege of connecting with the president of the charity who is the most amazing woman with a big heart and willingness to help everyone in need. She shared stories of children who spend months or even years in hospitals.
Due to financial constraints, usually, only one parent can stay with the sick child at the hospital, while the other parent stays at home and is left to care for other children in the family.
The separation takes a huge emotional (and financial) toll on the families. Mothers’ Union wanted to help so they started a “Family House” project. They started building a home where families can stay together while their loved one is going through chemotherapy or other treatments. One of the inspirations for this idea was Ronald McDonald’s House.
We are excited to be a part of this initiative by helping raise money to finish the Family House. It is slated to open in winter of 2020 and Genial Day is donating 10% of our online store‘s revenue as well as providing our menstrual products to mothers and girls in the hospitals.
Supporting Pregnant Women
Both my pregnancies were not planned. I was 23 when I had my first baby. My husband and I managed to go through it all, but it took lots of love, care, and sleepless nights.
I truly believe that kids are blessings from God and there is no good or bad time for them to come to the world. Every child deserves to experience joy, love, and happiness. An unplanned pregnancy can be stressful, and especially so when a woman lacks a robust support system or, worse, is left completely alone.
Genial Day has partnered with the Crisis Pregnancy Center, a non-profit organization that helps meet the medical and psychological needs of pregnant women, in addition to providing daily necessities. The organization is run by four amazing ladies who guide and council women going through the crisis of unplanned pregnancy. To this day, Genial Day has donated more than 6,000 pads for the Center.