Chrysalis Connection Resources
February 2026
Chrysalis founder, Louise Noun, strongly believed that women's roles in history needed to be recognized and recorded and was instrumental in creating the Iowa Women's Archives.
Pictured left: Louise Noun and Mary Louise Smith
Photographer unknown. “Louise Noun and Mary Louise Smith at the Iowa Women’s Archives Opening Symposium, Iowa City, Iowa, October 28, 1992”. Photographs. Iowa Women’s Archives Founders. https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/node/135870.
Learn more about its founding and explore the many records available:
There is a collection of newspaper articles, photographs, correspondence, oral histories, and other primary sources chronicling African American Women Students at the University of Iowa.
Pictured left:
Photographer unknown. “Female Students at Currier Hall, University of Iowa, 1946”. Photographs. African American Women in Iowa Digital Collection. https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/node/429675.
Read about it and explore:
Dr. Sha Battle created International Black Women's History Month in 2016 to call out the accomplishments of Black women specifically during the month of April.
For remarkable information read here:
January 2026
Your gift ensures a girl one full year of participation in a Chrysalis After-School program here in Greater Des Moines.
You can support our work in preventing sex trafficking when you become part of our:
The city of Dallas, Texas is combatting human trafficking.
Learn how:
There are resources to help build awareness about preventing human trafficking.
Take a look:
The Iowa Office to Combat Human Trafficking has information on how you can better understand this issue.
Access the information:
December 2025
You can help. Your gift of $1 a day, $365 a year, ensures that one more girl can become part of a proven opportunity to set and reach her own goals.
Join the 365 Donor Circle here:
Chrysalis believes in the Girl Effect.
Here's a little secret about the girl effect:
The Girl Effect is a powerful force.
Learn about the impact of education and support for girls in this video:
November 2025
According to the State Data Center of Iowa, over 20,000 Native Americans and Alaska Natives were residents of Iowa in 2023.
Here is more information:
To learn from a different viewpoint, connect to the history of Thanksgiving from a Native American perspective.
Connect here:
Bringing in an appreciation for other cultures can be easier than we think.
Here is an article:
Learn more about how to celebrate Thanksgiving properly in a diverse household.
October 2025
The FreeStore provides gently used furniture and other household items at no cost to children and families in central Iowa who are recovering from domestic violence or other trauma.
Learn more about The FreeStore here:
Chrysalis recently provided expertise on addressing domestic violence homicides to Channel 5's We Are Iowa.
Watch the full video here:
Children exposed to violence in the home are also victims.
Read about the effects of domestic violence on children here:
Victims of domestic violence respond to abuse in many different ways. It may not be easy to see the effects of domestic violence on a person.
Learn warning signs that someone is being abused here:
If you worry someone you care about is in an abusive relationship, there are steps you can take to help.
Read this if you'd like to help someone you know who is experiencing domestic violence:
September 2025
September is Suicide Prevention Month, intended to raise awareness and spark hope around an urgent mental health issue. In the United States, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 14.
Download an informational toolkit on awareness and prevention prepared by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) here:
With increasing attention on immigration status, it’s important to understand the guaranteed rights provided by the United States Constitution.
Here is a resource from the American Civil Liberties Union that we find helpful: