Laura is a new volunteer at The Spitfire Club and a girls' empowerment enthusiast. She's also a bit of a Spitfire herself...
Greetings! My name is Laura Blyler and I am a new volunteer with The Spitfire Club at Charles Barrett Elementary School on Mondays. I’ve only been co-leading this group for a few weeks, but I am having a blast! The girls are so smart and their energy is inspiring.
I’ve always had a deep passion for girls’ empowerment and am an avid reader. I know first-hand how powerful books can be in the life of a girl because I have always gravitated toward books with feminist characters such as Harriet the Spy and Cam Jansen, myself. I support Spitfire because I want to help girls to find their voice through reading and make friends along the way!
I met Amanda in college and I have been following her journey to establish this organization through her Facebook page. I was intrigued to learn more about this confidence boosting literacy program, and was excited to learn that there was a way I could get more involved! I knew I would love working with the Spitfire girls, but an unexpected benefit has been the culture of The Spitfire Club. Amanda and I haven’t seen each other since college, almost 10 years ago, but re-connecting and collaborating has been a breath of fresh air. The sisterhood of The Spitfire Club is giving me a confidence boost that I need in my career at this moment in time, and I get to use my gifts and strengths to help The Spitfire Club along this journey. I can’t wait to see how Spitfire grows and evolves!
A little about myself. I live in Arlington, VA with my fiancé Dave. I work remotely for a non-profit organization based in New York, but I previously worked for non-profit organizations in DC including AAUW and The German Marshall Fund. I currently serve as the Vice President of Young Professionals on the Board of Directors for the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area. In my free time, I enjoy going to Nationals games, playing trivia, hiking, and reading. I’m currently reading The Proposal by Jasmine Guillroy, and I recently finished Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, which I cannot stop recommending to everyone I meet. Feel free to be in touch via email or LinkedIn.