Alison Gershman: Stitching Skill, Service, and Global Impact

This International Women’s Day, we are proud to honor women whose steady leadership strengthens communities near and far. For Alison Gershman, that leadership begins with a needle and thread and extends across continents.

At just 10 years old, Alison’s mother began teaching her to sew, sparking a lifelong love of textiles and design. After earning a degree in textile design from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, she spent a decade working in New York’s fashion industry before returning to Pennsylvania, where she and her husband raised two children and built a life rooted in family and service.

In 2016, a friend invited Alison to visit a Days for Girls sewing day with the Eagleville, PA Chapter, where she was surprised to learn that so many lack access to menstrual products. What began as curiosity quickly became passion and commitment. Alison stepped into leadership within her Chapter and, in 2022, joined the volunteer U.S. Sewing Specialist team.

Her work has taken her beyond her local community supporting distributions by local leaders in Kenya, Ecuador, and Cuba. She brings those experiences back to her volunteers, connecting global impact with local action. Whether supporting local distributions or partnering with organizations abroad, Alison’s focus remains the same: ensuring women and girls can lead dignified lives through access to menstrual health education and sustainable products.

For Alison, International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate courageous women who pursue social, economic, and political change. It is also a reminder that meaningful progress often begins in community spaces; around sewing tables, in classrooms, and through partnerships built on trust.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate Alison and the countless volunteers like her whose skill, dedication, and compassion continue to expand access and strengthen communities around the world.