Wayne State College navigators have started a purse and hygiene donation drive for the women at Bright Horizons in Norfolk.  

Bright Horizons is a shelter that women can go to and find safety after being abused or sexually assaulted.  

The idea for this donation drive started with one navigator, Taylor VanPelt. VanPelt is in her second year of being a navigator. She is currently completing an internship with Bright Horizons and came up with this idea.  

“This purse and hygiene product donation is important because there are so many young women who seek Bright Horizon’s services but do not have access to items such as a nice handbag or quality products to practice good hygiene,” VanPelt said.  

“Bright Horizons is a non-profit organization that assists people who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault through empowerment, education, social action and support services,” Jenni Canham said.  

Canham is WSC’s campus visit coordinator.  

Every year the navigators do a service project and with the connection between VanPelt and Bright Horizons, this seemed like a good project for the navigators to do, Canham said.  

The group decided to have a purse drive along with hygiene. After being displaced from their homes hygiene items are always a need. Doing a purse drive along with it is something that a lot of people have probably not seen.  

“Upon research, we learned that many women, when leaving an abusive situation, do not have time to collect their personal belonging, especially their purses,” Canham said. “So we thought, why not make hygiene kits and instead of using ziplock baggies to put the items in, we will use purses.”  

VanPelt is very excited to be seeing this donation drive come to action. As she is one of the most involved navigators, seeing a project that positively affects both groups is fun to see.  

“I am so thrilled to see this campus group put time and effort into a nonprofit I have become so passionate about in the time of my employment,” VanPelt said.  

The purse and hygiene donation drive last until March 3. There is a donation box in the lobby of Hahn. Also, donations can be taken directly to Bright Horizon’s main office in Norfolk. If there are any questions, contact Canham or talk to any navigator.