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THE
EMBRACE GIRLS FOUNDATION, INC.
Embrace
Girl Power! After School Programs & Camps
Little
Miss Princess Pageant Organization
2009-2010
Program Overview
The Embrace
Girls Foundation’s Embrace Girl Power! After School Program &
Camps is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization established in 2001, where
little girls learn to be healthy, confident, ambitious and educated
young ladies. Where the lives of elementary and middle school aged girls
are improved through academic tutoring, leadership training, life and
character educational skills coupled with social and cultural opportunities
and exposure they might not ordinarily ever experience. While all girls
enjoy the services provided, our fundamental objective and focus is
to address the greatest unmet needs of girls residing throughout Miami-Dade
and South Broward Counties who come from underserved or high crime neighborhoods;
are enrolled in academically failing schools; whose families have been
certified as low or very low-income or, working class parents unable
to qualify for government assistance but, also have an equal need. Research
shows girls with low self-esteem or self-image and limited resources
to quality well organized, academic, social and cultural growth or opportunities
truly benefit from their enrollment and participation in the Embrace
Girl Power! After School Programs & Camps. It also has revealed
that not only at risk girls benefit from and are impacted by our work
“all” girls from “all” cultures and socio-economic backgrounds
seek out the organization for services. We currently have a waiting
list of more than 119 girls and 7 local schools and centers seeking
enrollment and/or on site services.
Why Target
Girls: - The Need for gender specific programming is necessary
as recent studies have revealed it is no longer acceptable to provide
“one size fits all” solutions for girls and women’s issues. That,
coupled with the fact that a large majority of our members come from
high crime neighborhood, schools rated as low or failing in communities
barely serving children, let alone the specific and direct needs of
pre-adolescent age girls with serious risk factors that include but
are not limited to poor parental supervision or positive family environment,
low or poor self-esteem and self-image, poor grades, study skills and
habits, a lack of sense of mastery, pre-disposition to early childhood
health issues such as juvenile diabetes, obesity and respiratory conditions
as well as social and legal issues such as juvenile crimes and substance
abuse family histories. In fact, a first of its kind study released
as recently as March 12, 2008, reveal that one in four U.S. teenage
girls, or 3.2 million, have a sexually transmitted disease.
And for Black
girls, the number is higher – one in two is infected. Thus,
begging the need for grade school contact via preventative life skills
training, character educational skills and mentoring relationships designed
just for them. for young girls and their parents.
Our Services:
Embrace Girl Power! After School Programs & Camps provide more than
220 girls with professional mentors, after-school, during school and
Saturday academic, life skills and tutorial sessions, positive social
experiences as well as leadership, life skills and character educational
training at five (5) designated sites located throughout South Broward
and Miami-Dade County. Direct services currently offered by Embrace
include family and parenting workshops, after-school, during school
and weekend academic tutoring, early childhood reading programs and
activities, charm and etiquette courses, health and personal hygiene
retreats and screenings, safety workshops (internet, personal and teen
domestic violence), cultural arts projects and Kid Power! Money Management
and Savings for Kids, as well as Substance abuse awareness and prevention
sessions, which include (alcohol and tobacco prevention and advertising
tactics) peer pressure empowerment, self-esteem and positive behavioral
skills and tools. These services are free and held Monday through Sunday
and often during the day as designated specials and assemblies at area
private and public schools.
Signature
Events & Activities: Special events offered by the program
include our well-publicized signature events, which include “Tea
With Me Brunches” which features invited community leaders and/or
celebrities to partake in a charmingly elegant brunch and discussion
over tea. TV Court Show Judges, Glenda Hatchett (Judge Hatchett Show),
Marilyn Milian (the People’s Court), Miss America 2003, Erica Herald,
Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap, University of Miami President, Donna
Shalala, Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos Alvarez, Miami-Dade County
Commissioner, Barbara J. Jordan, Miami-Dade State Attorney, Katherine
Fernandez-Rundle, the former First Lady of Florida, Columba Bush and
recently, the Civil Rights Leader, Reverend Al Sharpton, the honorable
Lynn Toler, of the hit nationally syndicated television show “Divorce
Court”, Miss Florida USA 2009, Anastagia Pierre, Teen Motion Picture
Actress, Keke Palmer from the Movie, Akeelah and the Bee and Disney’s
most popular TV Movie “Jump In” and Actor/Authors, Miami-Dade Police
Department, Narcotics Division, Top Ranking Women, Kim Wayans (of the
hit sitcom “In Living Color” and her husband, Kevin Knotts).
Also, popular are our “Girl Power!” Pep Rallies which are high energy
and entertaining summits offered as school assemblies during the school
day provides hundreds of girls with empowering information and tools
to deal with peer pressure, positive self-image and self-esteem, media
and advertising awareness and the consequences and effects of substance
abuse, juvenile criminal behavior and personal responsibility. This
is a key component of the program as empowering information is received
from key professionals and experts who also make themselves available
for advice post event.
Other engaging
projects our program participants enjoy taking part in are our scrap
booking and reading clubs; mini camps offered on Saturdays as well as
on Teacher’s Work Days where participants take part in community service
projects and explore other sights and sounds throughout South Florida
as well as our “Read-With-Me” and “Monthly Book” reading components
which offers exciting reading programming for kindergarten and elementary
age children. Our middle school girls take part in a fabulous Leadership/Ambassador
component that also allows them to earn necessary community service
hours as well as take part in specialty courses and activities.
The Little
Miss Princess Pageant was designed as our Annual Fundraising
Event developed to provide a charming and magical experience for girls
in three age categories 4-6 Princess Daisies, 7-9 Princess Lilies
and 10-12 Princess Sun Flowers. The Little Miss Princess Pageant
offers an empowering series of events with a non-competitive atmosphere
focusing on Sisterhood and Friendship. A confidence building experience
all Little Princesses will look forward to participating in each year. A
place where “all” contestants are winners and prizes are
Grand. Including Scholarship Awards and celebrity meet and greets.
Our objective is
to reach girls throughout Palm Beach, Miami Dade and Broward County early on
in their social developmental years to promote positive self-esteem and
self-image, embrace a sense of self-mastery and to encourage each contestant to
live a healthy lifestyle, serve her community and work collaboratively
to build more meaningful mentoring relationships thus, embracing their
natural beauty.
Far more than
a Pageant, we have coordinated a host of preliminary events to lead
up to our Royal Day that begins with an empowering workshop and luncheon
where contestants will take part in an interactive series of topics
hosted by professionals in each field ranging from Personal and Internet
Safety, Money Management 101 For Girls, Health, Fitness
and Persona Hygiene, tools to improve positive Self-Esteem and
Self-Image, to Media and It's Impact on Girls as well as an
empowering discussion on Friends, Clicks and You - A Guide To Getting
Along With Girls. We will also feature a course on Beauty, Style
Grace & Social Etiquette, followed by a Day of Fun where contestants
take over a local amusement park for a day of adventure and fun; a Community
Service Day where contestants donate a day of service to the community,
and our Signature Event, a Royal Grand Tea Party where Queens from near
and far come together to encourage and inspire Contestants in preparation
for our finale, The Grand Royal Pageant.
Girl
Power! Money Management 101:
TD Bank provides workshops for members about the importance of saving
and not spending, creating and following a budget, basic instruction
on completing deposit slips and writing checks, the importance of maintaining
good credit and problems that occur when money is loaned to family and
friends. TD Bank also opens free Savings Accounts for each member and
makes a one time contribution of $25.00 to each account.
Earth
Rangers Program:
A program provided by our partner, Community Case Management Inc., which
teaches kids K-5 about the environment through its Earth Rangers program.
The program cultivates awareness of climate and environment, while inspiring
youth to become environmental stewards.
Embrace
Girls Golf Club: Members partake in weekly golf lessons
sponsored by The First Tee Golf Program an initiative of the World Golf
Foundation, whose mission is to impact the lives of young people by
providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote
character-development and life-enhancing values through the game of
golf. The goal is to provide the golf learning facilities and the experience
that will enable kids from every walk of life to embrace a game that
teaches values for life and which can be played for a lifetime.
“Ready
Set Go” Tutorial Program:
The mission of The Embrace Girls Foundation, Inc.’s “Ready Set Go”
Tutorial & Instructional Program is to provide individual and group
academic tutorial and instructional support to assist students in achieving
their academic goals in the areas of language arts, math and science.
For many students,
this is the most immediate academic assistance available. Through parental
or educator requests, students are provided tutorial resources as well
as diagnostic testing conducted by Certified Educators to determine
the individualized needs of each student. Students and tutors meet twice
during the week and immediately after school a hot nutritional dinner
and snacks are provided prior to each session. Biweekly Saturday
sessions are also conducted at an area Library where assistance with
student special projects that require extensive reports and research
is provided. Tutorial sessions were held during the Summer months
after which, each student enrolled received Certificates of Completion,
age and grade appropriate back to school supplies and back packs and
a field trip to a local amusement center. They are indeed ready
and Set to Go back to school.
Embrace
Girl Power! Young Leaders of Tomorrow Initiative:
This innovative and engaging component of the organization offers advanced
training to Middle and High school aged girls by offering more intense
life and social coping skills necessary to navigate through their challenging
teen years, college preparatory counseling, an opportunity to gain
Community Service and Work Skills credits necessary to graduate as well
as workshops and retreats addressing an array of topics from dating
to health, personal hygiene, social etiquette and substance abuse prevention
to family relationship skills and self-confidence building training.
Research
Based: Our Life Skills Training curriculum has been selected
as an exemplary, research based and proven prevention program curriculum
by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association,
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, National Center for Disease Control
and Prevention and the White House Office of Drug Policy as well as
The First Tee Golf Program Life Skills Training Academy. Embrace has
also implemented safety awareness sessions conducted by Officers of
the Miami-Dade Police Department, which has been used as a Countywide
Safety Initiative by the program. Also, and most impressive is our agency’s
involvement as a Task Force Member appointed by the First Lady of Florida
Columba Bush, to take part in “Women Under The Influence – Florida’s
Blueprint” the most penetrating and comprehensive research based examination
ever undertaken of substance and tobacco abuse and addiction among girls
and women.
Outcomes
& Demand: The Embrace Girls Foundation, Inc., maximizes
its local, state and national in-kind sponsor, partner and volunteer
base thereby reporting impressively strong long-term measurable improvements.
Data is collected quarterly to measure the program’s outcomes in the
areas of school attendance, classroom and home behavior, academic scores
and social opportunities. School administrators, teachers, parents and
program members are involved in the process that includes life skills
and character pre and post surveys, parents and teacher consultations
as well as classroom and home visits ascertain member’s academic needs
and/or improvements. Parental involvement is strongly encouraged and
embraced as a family friendly organization. Data is confidentially stored
and maintained for four (4) years.
Esteemed
Advisory Committees:
As a Florida
Gender Specific Task Force member, The Embrace Girls Foundation, Inc.,
was selected by former First Lady of Florida, Columba Bush and the Florida
Office of Drug Control to help develop a plan to sharpen the focus on
substance abuse and addiction by girls and women in Florida.
The Embrace
Girls Foundation, Inc., was also selected to take part in The Children’s
Trust Violence Prevention Task Force of community groups and leaders
designed to reduce fatalities and serious injuries caused by the recent
deadly shootings of youths and overall neighborhoods crime.
Our Esteemed
Partnership Base: The Embrace Girls Foundation, Inc., has leveraged
community resources and an extensive volunteer base providing unduplicated
services
positively
impacting our efforts to provide quality services. Thus, resulting in
impressive evaluations of our programmatic services and administrative
team.
Our In-Kind
Matching Partners Include: Miss Florida USA Organization, TD
Bank, Barnes & Noble Books, Miami-Dade County Police Department,
Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office, United States Department
of Health and Human Services (Girl Power! Campaign), Women’s Sports
Foundation (Go Girl Go! Campaign), Allied Advertising & Public Relations,
Office Depot, Miami-Dade County Libraries, Miami-Dade School Systems,
The Florida Marlins Organization The Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, The
Mahogany Grille, Florida Department of Transportation, Chef Kathy’s
Catering & Events, Miami Dade County Libraries, Law Offices of Akerman
Senterfitt, El Palacio Hotel & Resort, Cox Radio, Saks Fifth Avenue
and the Miami-Dade County Schools System.
Licensing/Certifications:
Embrace is in good standing with The State of Florida Department of
Corporations, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
the Internal Revenue Services Tax Exempt (501c3) Division and Life Skills
Training Instructors Academy. All employees and volunteers are bonded
and have been duly screened and certified by Federal, State and Local
law enforcement agencies to work with children.
Media
Coverage: The Embrace Girls Foundation, Inc., Embrace Girl Power!
After School Programs & Camps initiative has been featured in numerous
local publications, on radio and television features, received national
coverage via radio broadcasts and mentions as well as television features
and has sponsored a number of live radio broadcasts addressing the need
for gender specific programming. Visit our website for highlights and
photos of recent events and news coverage at www.embracegirlpower.org.
EMBRACE GIRL POWER!
MISSION STATEMENT
The
mission of The Embrace Girls
Foundation – Embrace Girl Power! Initiative
is to provide positive social experiences, Life Skills and Character
Building Training, improve academic scores and the public school experience,
provide mentoring relationships and offer cultural exposure for girls
ages 4-12 with a particular interest in those residing in low or very
low income, working class and underserved neighborhoods throughout South
Broward and Miami-Dade County.
Founded
on a commitment to provide quality and personal attention to girls and
their families, the Embrace Girl
Power! Initiative advocates
for and offers its participants unique and personalized services, which
empower, enhance and encourage positive life experiences, choices, community
involvement and the preservation and unity of families.
The
Board and staff of The Embrace
Girl Foundation are committed
to enhancing the confidence, self-esteem and self-image of young girls
and the quality of life for their families and community.
Empowering
One Girl At A Time!
www.embracegirlpower.org
www.littlemissprincesspageant.org
embraceu1@aol.com
(305) 270-4099 Phone
(305) 556-1329
Fax
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