The Good Girls Initiative is a newer non-profit that started in Volusia County, and now they are trying to help girls in Flagler County Schools. The name may not sound familiar as they are more widely known in Volusia County as the Oopsie Project. The Oopsie project started as a single person trying to make a difference and over time has blossomed into an organization that helps multiple counties here in Florida. I had the pleasure of speaking with Gina Elmazi who has really put in the time and effort to grow this organization into what it currently is.
When asked how the Oopsie Project got started, Gina replied, “In 2018, my OB/GYN put out a FB post asking for Ipsy bags. I brought mine to my next appointment and asked what they were being used for. The office manager was collecting bags to repurpose but buying the feminine products out of her own pocket. Owning a social media advertising business, I proposed asking my clients to donate funds in exchange for advertising. She loved the idea and gave me “permission” to run with it.”
We asked Gina what led to them making this an official 501 C3 organization, and she said, “After a “stuffing party” in 2021, one of the attendees reached out to me and asked me if I’d thought about becoming an official nonprofit. I told her that I’d love to but with two jobs and a family, along with zero knowledge or experience on nonprofits nor how to become one, I just didn’t have the time. She offered to research and help through the entire process. We formed a board, our mission statement and the rest, as they say, is history!”
You may be wondering what kind of services this organization currently offers, we were wondering the same, and asked Gina, who told us all about what they do. “Our official name is Good For Girls Initiative. We provide resources to women and youth. Currently, The Oopsie Bag Project is our primary focus. We collect cosmetic bags and repurpose them by filling them with feminine products to every school in Volusia, Flagler and Seminole counties. We’ve also provided Oopsie bags and boys & girls deodorants to Volusia & Seminole Counties’ Always Changing Puberty Program by request. We’ve held a free clothing drive, partnered with Junior League for a diaper collection, gathered and donated women’s and children’s shoes for Women United. We are currently helping Provision Packs stock enough food for summer meal deliveries. We’re willing to partner with any nonprofit that aligns with our mission. All they have to do is ask through our website,” replied Gina.
We were curious as to what the goals for the Good For Girls Initiative, and here is what Gina had to say, “Our current goal is to keep our three primary counties (Flagler, Volusia & Seminole) stocked with Oopsie bags. Because our inventory is 100% s provided by those communities, the more interest, help, awareness and participation we get from them, the longer and greater we can provide for them! In the future, we’d love to start chapters, so whether it’s another Florida county or an area in New York, California, Wisconsin, etc. Oopsie bags can be provided locally to the girls in those schools!”
You might be wondering how you can get involved in this organization, well Gina shared how Flagler County can get involved, “We have a fantastic presence on social media. Our Facebook group was started with 19 members and has now grown to close to 4,000. Link here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volusiacountyoopsiebagproject We also have an Instagram page: https://instagram.com/the_oopsie_project and our website is http://www.goodforgirlsinitiative.org/ Just sharing our posts and our organization with friends and family helps tremendously. Collecting those unused cosmetic bags and turning them into one of our many drop off locations and purchasing from our Amazon wish-list is a great help too! ”
We were curious how the Good for Girls Initiative plans to inspire the community, and Gina said, “We hope to inspire young ladies into helping the community that helps them. We hope to inspire school nurses, teachers and administrators to help their female students and show them period positivity. We hope to inspire our community to help our youth and schools.”
We were curious what inspires Gina and the rest of the board behind the Good for Girls Initiative, and Gina said, “The feedback and recognition we’ve gotten from the community is amazing. We’ve been recognized by the Volusia County School Board, the Volusia County Council, WESH 2 News, Women United, Junior League, various Rotary Clubs and many schools, businesses and organizations. Our favorite inspiration though is when a parent sends us a message that says “my daughter started her period today in class. She came home with one of your bags and a big smile on her face. Thank you!” or a school nurse asks us for more bags because they’ve given them all out. That means they see the value in what we are providing. ”
This organization is always looking for people to get involved. If this is something you would like to get involved with, you can reach out to them on their Facebook Page, Instagram page, or their website.
