Back when Chez Smith was an administrator at Cook County’s Fantus Clinic near Stroger Hospital in Chicago, she encountered plenty of women and girls who needed help paying for basic necessities. They also could benefit from some education about their sexuality and contraception, and advice about life in general, she thought.
So Smith, of Chicago Heights, started Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. in 2017, a mobile center that traveled to various locations including schools offering free hygiene kits as well as reproductive education.
She hired Dolton resident Venisha Bonds — one of her best volunteers — to help run the operation, which has grown to include a shelter, grocery pantry and programs such as Birds, Bees and Beyond for girls ages 9 to 11 and Degrees B4 Diapers for ages 12 to 21.
And they always offer emotional support.
Smith said the range of programs are a way to combat the “negative health outcomes” she saw too often at Fantus Clinic, which closed in 2018. She decided to focus on women and girls because she saw a disparity in gender perceptions.
“In the community, when girls become sexually active or are learning about their bodies, they’re often judged, as opposed to when boys start having sex,” she said. “It’s a huge double standard and it made me just want to do something about it.”
The latest venture from Smith and Bonds, a free program to train women to work in the phlebotomy field, caught the attention of the American Red Cross, which named them Blood Services Heroes. They will be honored at the 22nd Annual Heroes Breakfast May 14 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S Michigan Ave.
“Chez and Venisha’s dedication to training young women as phlebotomists not only uplifts the individuals but strengthens the community by preparing them to excel in the critical healthcare field of blood collection,” said Celena Roldan Sarillo, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Illinois, in a statement.
Smith said the program, which teaches people how to safely draw blood in medical settings, had over 65 applicants but they could afford to fund education for only six. The program provided everything for free, including tuition, books, medical scrubs and the state boards for certification. Three women completed the rigorous program from PulseFinders Healthcare Institute and scored high on the certification test, she said.
“We found out a lot of people were working, but just underemployed,” Smith said. “Their wages just weren’t matching the current cost of living.”
The nonprofit, which opened a storefront last year in Grand Crossing at 605 E. 71st St., is a safe haven for many girls and women.
Tempest Robinson, 18, was attending Chatham Academy High School in Chicago when Smith and Bonds visited with hygiene kits. She was so impressed, she wanted to be part of their mission and has volunteered with the group for about a year, putting together more kits, sorting donations and helping people who come in for diapers.
“I just thought this was my way of helping them and giving back to them for helping us,” said Tempest, who lives in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. “They give really good advice. I love coming here. They’re like my two moms.”
Bonds also was an enthusiastic volunteer before she was hired at Gyrls in the H.O.O.D.
“I was a teen mom myself, so I understood what a struggle these girls were having,” Bonds said. “I think the biggest thing was supporting her and the mission. I saw her vision.”
Bonds had worked at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, UChicago Medicine and other healthcare venues, but “I felt it was time for me to really follow my heart,” she said.
It’s a role that makes her feel like she’s making a difference.
“These young girls come in feeling broken,” Bonds said. “We give them hugs, talk to them — not at them, allow them to decompress, talk, cry and then we’re able to talk about the next steps and how we can assist them.
“I love to see the transformation. Instead of their heads down, their heads are up.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
