Archana Liggins Selected as a WGN TV Remarkable Woman

Joliet Township High School (JTHS) community partner and founder of BAG Lady Outreach, Archana Liggins, has been selected as one of four WGN TV Chicagoland remarkable women who have advanced as candidates for Nexstar’s nationwide 2020 Woman of the Year Award. “Remarkable Women” is a nationwide initiative to honor the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress and the quality of life.

Liggins partnered with JTHS this year, prompting Community and Alumni Relations Director Kristine Schlismann to nominate Archana for the nationwide 2020 Woman of the Year Award. “Archana epitomizes the saying that one person can make a difference,” said Schlismann. “She continually looks for the needs in our community, so that she can provide access to essential supplies that no person should be denied.”

Schlismann has been working with Liggins on the implementation of a Toiletry Locker Pilot Program at Joliet Central and West High Schools. The program, a partnership with the 501c3 organization, BAG Lady Outreach, is the first of its kind for the organization and provides lockers filled with toiletry supplies that students at both campuses can access if needed.

“Archana has become a true partner to JTHS through the Toiletry Locker Program,” said Schlismann. “But beyond that, Archana has participated in our Career Exploration Event where she gave toiletry bags to students, and she provided holiday gifts for all of the grandparents and their children in the JTHS Grandparents Raising Children program led by Bridgebuilder Mary White. We are deeply grateful for the partnership we have with Archana, and I know we will be busy working on new projects and initiatives in the future.”

WGN TV produced a news segment depicting Liggins community involvement. “It was an honor to nominate Archana for this award and the WGN TV piece truly depicts the impact her work has in our community,” said Schlismann. “One thing not mentioned, is the need that Archana has for storage. Archana is currently storing all the donations in her garage, and her outreach is growing, Archana is literally driving around with donations in her van because space has run out. A shed or a barn in her back yard would allow Archana convenient access to the donations without taking up space in her house and vehicle. BAG Lady Outreach is entirely based on donated items. A donation of a shed or barn would greatly benefit the work of the organization.”

To view Liggins’ WGN TV Remarkable Woman news segment, visit: https://wgntv.com/news/remarkable-women/bag-lady-outreach-helps-through-handbags/

Professionally, Liggins serves as the Agency Relations Area Lead for Northern Illinois Food Bank, where she works with the food pantries and feeding sites in the southern region counties of Will, Grundy, and Kankakee. Based on reflections from her personal work with hygiene insecure families, Archana founded BAG Lady Outreach, an Illinois non-profit (501c3) organization, to improve access and decrease the need of underserved families in the community. BAG Lady Outreach is currently a volunteer-run organization that collects and repurpose essential tangible products and resources; and coordinates activities and events to support families in need regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion.

Under Liggins leadership, the organization participates in numerous outreach event and donation drives to support the community such as reoccurring soup kitchen cook & serve volunteer opportunities; community baby showers; MLK Service Day projects; student hygiene kits; Spring Break & Summer Break bagged books for students; hygiene bags; and blessing purses.

“Archana works diligently to ensure that families are receiving food and resources in underserved areas of Illinois, and has made a positive impact in various communities by ensuring that needs are being met and families are being served,” said Schlismann. “What started out as providing 38 ‘blessing bags’ to those in need in honor of her 38th birthday, has grown to 4000+ bags distributed locally and internationally in Africa and the Bahamas. It is just incredible.”

The selected Chicagoland Remarkable Woman will be provided with travel and hotel accommodations in New York City to attend a special reception where television talk show host Mel Robbins will be the featured speaker. Each local market’s “Remarkable Woman” will be a guest of “The Mel Robbins Show,” taping on Wednesday, March 18th, when Ms. Robbins will exclusively announce the “Nexstar Woman of the Year.” The show will the winner on air during the week of March 23.

For more information about BAG Lady Outreach, visit: www.bagladyoutreach.org or contact the organization at bagladyoutreach@gmail.com or (708) 232-3930.

Photo Identification (L to R): Kristine Schlismann and Archana Liggins