WhoIsShe? SheGives Research Fellow Chelsea Norman

Q: We’re so excited to have you join us as Research Fellow for SheGives! So, what would you say is the most exciting thing happening in your life right now?

A:I am helping to draft pro-active, progressive legislation around reproductive health. Some of these bills have never been attempted (nationally or by other states); we hope to make MA stand out as a leader in reproductive health.

Also, as the Vice President of Community Engagement for Mass NOW, I am crafting an organizing vision for the organization- how exciting! I want to build feminist communities throughout MA.

Q: That sounds amazing! It must be so exciting to do such important work. On a lighter note, what are some of your favorite ways to spend your time?

A:I love live music and going to shows; food and craft beer; and attending events and meeting new people.  I have the travel bug. I’ve been all over the world and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

Q: Wow! Can you tell us more about your time in the Peace Corps?

A: I was a Preventative Health and Environmental Extension agent. I basically planted gardens and talked to mothers about nutrition and breastfeeding their babies.

Q: Finally, what can we expect this year from your work as a Research Fellow? Can you tell us more about the Kids in Breach track?

A: The Kids in Breach track focuses on organizations that work with children who fall through system cracks for whatever reason. Maybe they are undocumented or maybe they are too old to receive certain government services. Those are the organizations we are dilligencing.

You can expect a Fellow who knows the implications of this issue on a personal level. I had Medicaid for insurance until I was 21. But, as I got older, I lost some of the services I was receiving due to age (from about 18-21, the services started slowly declining). I think it’s amazing that so many organizations are stepping up to fills gaps in the system.

SheGives connects committed, inquisitive, engaged donors with a slate of diligenced nonprofits in the Greater Boston area. We provide members with relevant data about the nonprofits in our portfolio and an opportunity to meet directly with our nonprofits’ Executive Directors and senior staff in small settings that promote in-depth q&a’s and, ultimately, informed giving. Giving is personally driven, but because we give side-by-side our collective impact is greater. See a list of the vetted nonprofits selected for our slate here.

WhoIsShe is a regular column featuring an appreciative but sometimes irreverent conversation with a SheGives Member.