Assist Her Movement
Samantha Rimando: I remember believing that I just needed an office job. I don’t know what the office job is but I wanted to do that. I was finding that it was common that girls didn’t know what their career options were and they were always put in these certain paths because that was just the traditional route to go.
Lois Paula: So Samantha used her background in Human Resources and Career Development to help young female professionals.
Samantha Rimando: Assist Her Movement originally did start as “A Sister Movement”.
Madison Dela Paz: It creates this great safe space for many students that feel like there’s so much pressure and having to know what you want to do right away, especially as I am finishing high school and going off into post secondary school. I know that I’ll have people to approach.
Samantha Rimando: There was a lot of people in my own community that have never been exposed to these types of conversations, they haven’t been exposed to these stories. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never seen it done.” or “I don’t know what to do, because I don’t know who else to talk to.”. Growing up I’ve had a very, very strong sense of community.
Lois Paula: So outside of her day job, she spends time after hours, making sure others have a community to go to as well.
Samantha Rimando: There’s just so much division, there’s so much hardship–you just see so many people struggling in the world. And I just wanted to create this place where it gives hope, it allows people to know that there is still good things happening.
Lois Paula: In addition to mentoring, they envisioned helping on an even larger scale. “Assist Her Movement” designs inspirational clothing and uses profits for the community; And one day, hopefully fund education for students in need.
Samantha Rimando: A bursary is, it’s like a scholarship. It’s awarded to people who show that they have financial need. So the goal is to help people who are underprivileged. I wasn’t actually approved for loans. People think that it’s so easy to get the loan and I wasn’t approved so I had to go to bursaries. I had to apply for scholarships. So, that’s why I wanted to kind of focus on those students. But then COVID hit and you just see all over the news that our food banks are getting hit. Our shelters are getting hit so hard. We’ve decided that we’re going to pivot it and help people in the food banks.
Lois Paula: Because of the community she grew up in, she wanted to make sure that no one would miss out on having the same.
Samantha Rimando: At a very young age, I lost my dad. Where you think it would fall apart, I felt my entire world came together. Where it was the brethren in the Church, my entire family; I always, I never felt unsupported, and because of them, they built me up and they taught me to keep my faith rooted. I just reflect on how blessed I am to have my membership. I have God’s guidance, I have Him in my life. I’m not on the frontline. I’m not–like what in the world can I do? So that’s why “Assist Her” became that outlet. I myself am doing a fundraiser, and my company said that they’re going to be matching it.
Lois Paula: And it’s this inspiration that allows Sam to use her resources for others; how she takes steps every day to let kindness move her.
Samantha Rimando: The one thing that I’ve realized is doing one thing today, you’re already farther than where you were yesterday. You go back to the INC Giving quote, and it’s like, “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it.” And I just hold on to that because I feel like I’ve been graced with everyone who has always treated me with kindness. So moving forward, I want to treat people with kindness. People are hardened by this world,it’s like if you keep feeding them that kindness, I feel like that can give you peace. That will give you internal peace and that is what I feel people might be missing in the world.
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