Women Connect
Healthy Living. Impactful Giving.
Get to Know Members of Our Women Connect Community
A key part of Women Connect is building a community — a place where we can share stories, draw strength from and be inspired by each other.
Cameron Maryott is one member of this growing circle. Cameron is a freshman at Lyons-Decatur Northeast (LDNE) Schools in Lyons, Nebraska. She and her mother, Carrie, made the 75-mile trip to Omaha in November for our Puberty Through Menopause event.
In addition to being a busy, hard-working student, Cameron is getting involved in her school and community to fight period poverty and make a difference in the lives of women.
We're excited for you to get to know more about Cameron, her inspiration for involvement and what she's most looking forward to in 2024.
What inspired you to make the drive to attend our latest event?
"When my research mentor discovered the Women Connect event and shared it with me, I was instantly excited. I had never heard of anything like it before, so I was determined to try and attend. I’m so glad I got to!"
What were your biggest takeaways from the event?
"My biggest takeaway was how many women struggle with period poverty in our everyday lives. Another takeaway I had was how important it is to know our bodies and, if we don’t, to seek help. These conversations are very important because many girls grow up without the correct information about their bodies or don’t have a female role model to learn from."
Why did you decide to get involved with the fight against period poverty in your community?
"I was inspired to fight against period poverty because, in my small school, our upperclassmen sent out a survey to discover how many girls in our school were struggling to access these health-necessary products. The survey showed that many girls in our school are without these sanitary items regularly. I hate the idea of women not having everything they need and being afraid to ask for help."
What is something you are looking forward to in 2024?
"We are looking forward to helping many women with their needs and also to being a female figure in my little sister's life. We want her to know it’s okay to ask uncomfortable questions and to be prepared for anything that will come her way."
Have a friend or family member who would be interested in Women Connect?
Please forward this link so they can learn more: MethodistHospitalFoundation.org/WomenConnect
Kiley Petersmith
Kiley serves as Director of Community Engagement at Nebraska Methodist College. Passionate about community health and health care access, she is always quick to say "yes" when we need a hand organizing Women Connect flu shot clinics or blood glucose testing.