Redefining Freedom Center Press Statement
The Redefining Freedom Center of Virginia was proud to present a $500 kickoff grant to Mona’s Heart Outreach, Inc., a Texas-based 501(c)(3), launching a new partnership focused on supporting homeless women and girls through access to essential sanitary supplies.
Often referred to as period poverty, the lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, and education impacts millions globally—particularly low-income individuals, students, and the unhoused—resulting in significant health, educational, and social consequences.
At its core, this work reflects a broader effort to redefine freedom for the 21st century. The Redefining Freedom Center began with the understanding that freedom means little if people cannot meet their most basic human needs. Through its Food Is Freedom initiative, the Center addressed hunger as a barrier to opportunity, stability, and well-being. Addressing period poverty is the next step in that evolution—recognizing that dignity, health, and bodily autonomy are not luxuries, but essential components of freedom. For women and girls living on the margins, access to sanitary products can determine whether they attend school, seek employment, or engage fully in society. Freedom must be practical, humane, and inclusive—or it is merely symbolic.
Mona’s Heart Executive Director, Mrs. Laronica “Shonny” D. Young, traveled to Virginia on January 5, 2026, to meet with leadership at the Redefining Freedom Center, where the first check was formally presented—marking the beginning of a collaborative effort to raise awareness and expand national support for menstrual equity.
“We are deeply grateful to Sophia Nelson and the Redefining Freedom Center of Virginia for expanding what the definition of freedom truly means,” said Mrs. Young. “Freedom is not an abstract concept—it has real application to real people. Millions of women and girls in the United States and around the world struggle each month to afford basic sanitary products. This $500 grant will immediately help women and girls in Texas avoid that worry this month.”
“We have already invested $500 in period poverty initiatives in Virginia public schools through our partnership with the Loudoun Education Foundation, and we plan to double that amount in 2026,” said Sophia A. Nelson, Founder and CEO of the Redefining Freedom Center of Virginia. “Our work on this issue will be national in scope. We are proud to stand alongside Mona’s Heart Outreach and are committed to this cause for the long haul.”
The Redefining Freedom Center of Virginia is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to defending, restoring, and reimagining freedom through civic engagement, education, and community partnerships.
