Ep 171 Suds for Students: Combatting Chronic Absenteeism with Care Packages

Carolina Quinones joins the podcast to share the story of her Girl Scout Gold Award project, which set out to combat chronic absenteeism by addressing a lack of laundry resources for students in New York City. When faced with a massive $150,000 structural roadblock to install washing machines at her school, Carolina refused to give up on her passion for the community. Instead, she pivoted her project to raise funds and research cost-effective alternatives, ultimately creating 74 comprehensive laundry care packages for students living in temporary housing. Packed with essentials like laundry sheets, dryer balls, and fabric refresher spray, her project directly supported local families while raising awareness about the unseen connection between clean clothes and school attendance.

More from Carolina:

My name is Carolina Quinones. I am 18 years old, and a Senior at Fontbonne Hall Academy, a small, all girls Catholic high school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I am also a Girl Scout and have been since kindergarten. Girl Scouts has given me the opportunity to participate in so many rewarding programs, such as the Journey for Justice destination. I am also a recipient of the Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Gold Award. For my Girl Scout Silver Award project in 9th grade; I worked to create a small library for students at my former middle school. I most recently earned my Girl Scout Gold Award. My project combated chronic absenteeism rooted in a lack of access to laundry resources. I am also chairperson of my school's DEI club and president/founder of Speech and Debate Club. I am pursuing my passion for advocacy as a political science major in Canada with the hopes of one day being elected into a position which will allow me to enact change on a greater scale and help more people.