SEATTLE — Two local nonprofit organizations are being recognized with a national honor this week.
The Classy Awards is one of the largest nonprofit award programs recognizing excellence in impact and innovation. For the last decade, the Classy Awards has formed a trailblazing leadership team ranging from the Trevor Project, Doctors Without Borders, and Shriners Hospital.
The leadership council has evaluated thousands of nominations from organizations addressing challenges around the world and selected two Seattle-based organizations to be named to the Classy class of 2023.
Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) was chosen as a social innovation winner and offers the only domestic violence program in the Pacific Northwest designed with all immigrants and refugees in mind. The organization is focused on empowering families and strengthening the communities through its resource centers in Seattle, Kent, and SeaTac. In the past five years, the program has helped more than 3,500 immigrants and refugee survivors access community services and housing.
ReWA began in 1985 as a small group of refugee women who volunteered to support their community and quickly grew to become a robust social services organization with resources in over 50 languages. Refugee Women’s Alliance is also addressing domestic violence trends as they served 700 local survivors in 2022. Immigrants and refugee survivors experience about three times higher rates of abuse, and in King County alone, nearly one in four residents are foreign-born.
Days for Girls International is the People’s Choice winner and has been changing the world from its Mount Vernon-based offices since 2008. The nonprofit focuses on increased access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships. Days For Girls International is tackling the problem faced by 500 million women and girls around the world.
The organization has mobilized volunteers and created innovative and sustainable solutions to help shatter the stigma and limitations women and girls face when it comes to menstrual care. A big focus is in Cambodia, where more than 80% of school-aged girls have poor menstrual health knowledge and only 31% feel comfortable attending school during their periods. Days for Girls International trained 34 teachers to lead age and culturally-appropriate lessons on puberty and menstrual health to 471 students across Cambodia.
Soraya Alexander, President of Classy, said her team has been focused on identifying and celebrating under-served nonprofits since 2009.
“This is a sector that is trying to solve the world's most intractable problems and they’re often under-resourced doing so,” said Alexander.
In addition to the public recognition, winners will also have access to exclusive networking events and receive $3,000 to advance their cause.
You can visit the Classy Awards website to learn more about the nonprofit class of 2023.