Empower Her Care Kits is Officially a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit!

GUYS.

I can’t believe I’m writing this—but it’s true:

Empower Her Care Kits is now a REAL 501(c)(3) nonprofit!

I’m still on cloud nine. I mean, seriously, this is HUGE. I think I screamed, danced, and maybe even did a happy cartwheel (definitely not graceful, but I tried ) when I saw the letter from the IRS.

We’d been waiting so long—filling out forms, gathering info, and checking every little thing. I didn’t know when it would happen, but when it did, I was OVER THE MOON.

Here’s what happened:


I was at home one afternoon, and we got a letter in the mail. I opened it, and there it was. The magic words:

“We are pleased to inform you that your organization has been approved as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3).”

I stared at the letter, trying to make sure it wasn’t a mistake or a prank or something. But no! It was real. I couldn’t hold back my excitement. I screamed, I danced around the house, and I gave my mom the biggest hug ever. I couldn’t believe that I was now the founder of a real nonprofit—at 11 years old!

It was one of those moments where I felt so proud of myself, but also kind of in awe of how far I’d come. I went from having an idea to now officially having a nonprofit that’s going to help people in a BIG way. It made me feel like: Wow, I really did that.

This approval letter wasn’t just a piece of paper. It meant I could start moving forward with even bigger dreams for Empower Her Care Kits. Like building those period pantries in Pierce and King County, and helping so many more people who need free care kits. It was the green light I’d been waiting for to make a real, lasting impact.

I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve had along the way—from my mom, to my board, to everyone who’s been cheering me on. This is just the beginning, and I’m ready for the next step.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me.

Ava

Filling Out the 1023-EZ Form (To Become 501(c)(3) Official!)

Okay, this one was a doozy.

If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been turning Empower Her Care Kits into a real nonprofit. Step 5 was filling out the 1023-EZ form—which might sound like a spaceship name, but it’s actually how you apply to become a 501(c)(3).

What’s a 501(c)(3)? Basically, it’s a fancy way of saying your nonprofit is tax-exempt—which means the government says you're official, and when people donate to your nonprofit, it can help them on their taxes too. Win-win!

But let me tell you… the 1023-EZ form was no joke.

It asked questions like:

What does your nonprofit actually do?


How do you plan to raise money?


What will you use the money for?


Who makes decisions and how?

It kind of felt like writing a really long school essay—but instead of turning it in to a teacher, you're turning it in to the IRS. So, yeah... no pressure.

I didn’t do this part alone (thank goodness). My mom and I sat together and read everything super carefully. We made a plan for what to say, how to explain Empower Her’s mission, and how to be honest and clear about what we want to do in the future—like building period pantries in Pierce and King County.

It was confusing sometimes, but we figured it out together. And honestly, I learned a lot! Like, you can’t just want to help people—you have to explain how you’ll do it, how you’ll pay for it, and how you’ll stay fair and organized. (So many grown-up words…)

Once we submitted the form, we had to wait again—this time to see if the IRS would approve us as a real 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Ava

Step 4: Getting Our EIN (Like a Nonprofit’s Social Security Number!)

Let’s talk about another big step in starting my nonprofit: getting our EIN!

First of all—what even is an EIN?


When I first heard it, I joked that it must mean “Extra Important Number”… because it sounded important, and, honestly, it kind of is! But it actually stands for Employer Identification Number.

We had to apply for one through the IRS, which made me feel like a real adult (even though I still don’t like Brussels sprouts and I forget to charge my tablet sometimes).

An EIN is basically like a social security number for a nonprofit or business. It helps the government know we exist, and it’s what we need to:

Open a bank account for Empower Her Care Kits


Accept donations (legally!)


File taxes (ugh, grown-up stuff!) 


Keep everything organized and official

We applied online through the IRS website. I was ready to wait a long time—because paperwork usually takes forever—but surprise… we got our EIN the same day!

That moment was huge. With our EIN in hand, we could finally start setting up things like a real bank account and applying for grants and donations. It made everything feel more official—like, Empower Her Care Kits was no longer just something I worked on after school. It was becoming a real organization with its own identity.

Even though EIN doesn’t actually mean “Extra Important Number,” it kind of does in my book. Because now we can grow, give, and help more people in Washington and beyond.

So yeah—Step 4: Check!


Ava

Filing With the Secretary of State (Big Kid Paperwork!)

Okay… deep breath.

This was the part where things started to feel super official—like, not-just-a-school-project kind of official.

To make Empower Her Care Kits a real nonprofit, we had to file paperwork with the Washington Secretary of State. (Yep, sounds like a big deal—and it was!)

Basically, this step makes your organization legal in the state you live in. So we went online to the Secretary of State’s website and found the form we needed to fill out. I sat with my mom and went through each part of it. It asked for some serious stuff:

Our official nonprofit name


Our mailing address


The names of our board members (I’ll talk more about that in another post!)


And a short plan about what Empower Her is going to do

This was the first time I realized how much real work goes into starting something like this. I wasn’t just making kits anymore—I was building something bigger that could keep going and growing.

We typed everything in carefully and triple-checked it before we hit submit. And then… we waited. And waited. And waited. 


(Okay, maybe it wasn’t that long, but it felt like forever because I was so excited!)

While we waited, I kept thinking:


“What if they don’t approve it?”
“What if I forgot something?”
“What if I actually did something big enough to get registered as a real nonprofit??”

And then one day—it happened.

We got the official confirmation:


Empower Her Care Kits was now a real, registered nonprofit corporation in the state of Washington!

Cue the happy dance!


I remember thinking: Wow… I’m only 11, but I really did that.

Filing with the Secretary of State taught me that big dreams take paperwork, patience, and a whole lot of passion. But once that approval came through, it felt like my idea had grown up into something even more amazing. This was just one step—but it was a BIG one. And I can’t wait to keep going.

Thanks for cheering me on!

Ava

Wait… What’s a Nonprofit? (And Why It Might Be My Thing)

So I want to tell you about something I learned recently that kind of blew my mind a little: I learned what a nonprofit is.

Before, I didn’t really know that word. I just knew I wanted to help people. I was making Empower Her care kits and giving them out at my school and to others who needed them, and that made me feel good...like I was doing something that mattered. 

But then, I heard my mom say, “Wow, you’re basically running a nonprofit!”
And I was like… What’s that?

So I asked more about nonprofits, I looked it up, and learned that a nonprofit is an organization that exists to help people, not to make money for someone. They raise money or get donations so they can do good things... like support communities, protect the environment, help animals, or in my case… make sure people have period products when they need them.

When I learned that, something kind of clicked.
I thought: Wait. This is a real thing? Helping people like this can be a whole job? A real-life mission?

It made me feel excited and curious, like maybe this is what I want to do—not just as a project for school or a Girl Scout project, but something I really care about for a long time. I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I do know that learning about nonprofits helped me see that what I’m doing matters and there’s a whole world of people out there trying to do good things, just like me.

And that?


That makes me want to keep going.

Thanks for reading,


Ava

Restocking with Capital Region Menstrual Health

I got the chance to do something really special. I helped restock period pantries with an amazing organization called Capital Region Menstrual Health. They’ve been doing this work for a while, and I was super excited when I got to help place period products in their already existing pantries around the area. I attended a period party earlier this year and it was actually organized by Capital Region Menstrual Health. 

We went to different locations where the pantries are placed within the community and filled them with things like pads, liners, and wipes. It felt really good to know that someone walking by could take what they needed, no questions asked.

I learned a lot about how much work goes into keeping these pantries full and cared for. It’s not just about putting products in a box—it’s about making sure people in the community feel supported and seen. I also realized just how quickly products go in some areas and pantries compared to others. Some pantries have to be filled more times in the week and I really was excited to be able to fill the pantries that are used more often.

Helping restock showed me that this isn’t just a local issue... period poverty is everywhere, and there are so many people working to make it better. It also gave me ideas for how I want to set up Empower Her pantries of my own once we move. That's right! We are moving back to Washington. Everything I learned from helping out and growing my own cause made me feel even more sure that this is the right path for me.

Thank you Capital Region Menstrual Health for letting me be part of your mission! I’ll always be cheering you on from across the country.

Stay empowered,

Ava

Big News (Literally!): My First Interview with CBS 6 in New York

Celebrating 100 Kits and Counting!

Hey everyone! Ava here with another exciting update on my Empower Her Care Kits journey. I'm really excited to share with you all the amazing news that we've reached a major milestone: 100 kits! When I first started Empower Her Care Kits, I never imagined that we would be able to make such a big impact, but with the support of my family and my community, we've been able to turn my goals into reality.

I'm so excited to announce that we received enough donations to purchase all the products needed to put together our first 100 care kits! Can you believe it? One hundred kits to help one hundred menstruators feel supported and empowered during their periods.

Putting together these kits has been such a cool experience for me. It's been a lot of work to get this idea going but I feel good now that we've got 100 kits completed. My mom and dad have helped me assemble and my sister Olivia, too. Seeing the finished products, and knowing that they will soon be in the hands of menstruators who need them makes it all worth it.

Reaching this milestone wouldn't have been possible without all of you who have supported Empower Her Care Kits along the way. Whether you donated money, shared my story, or simply cheered us on from the sidelines, your support means has felt so good to have.

I'm really excited to make more kits and my new goal is to have 200 or more out in the schools in my district and the surrounding areas. I keep reminding myself that maybe this will help close the gap on period poverty a little bit more. I know it's not enough for the entire world but I'm hoping it makes a difference for menstruators in my community.