LEAD Girls of North Carolina May 1 – 8
LEAD-A-THON Move for HER Event Changes Lives
Help LEAD Girls of North Carolina Change Lives: Move for HER in our LEAD-A-THON!
LEAD Girls of NC is preparing at-risk and low-income pre-teen girls in our community for the path to success.
When Nicole came to LEAD Girls three years ago, she was regularly fighting with her family, and these issues at home were impacting her grades and clouding her focus. By participating in LEAD Girls’ evidence-based curriculum focused on awareness, communication, leadership, and perspective, Nicole self-reported that she has learned how to communicate more effectively, learning important skills about how to handle conflict.
“LEAD’s sessions about dealing with conflict and relationships have made the biggest impact on my life because it has helped me make my relationships with my family better,” says Nicole. “I’ve also made a lot of supportive friends at LEAD that are especially nice to have right now when we can’t see our school friends.”
Additionally, Nicole says that participating in LEAD’s Summer Fashion Entrepreneurship Camp has taught her about a possible career path. “LEAD has taught me that I can do whatever I want in the future and I think I want to open my own business one day,” says Nicole. “LEAD has inspired me to do that and taught me how to set goals for myself to do that.”
LEAD equips girls like Nicole with the tools they need to become productive citizens and active leaders in our community. Stories like Nicole’s are not rare among LEAD Girls. In fact, 95% of LEAD Girls self-report being better able to work with others and feel more connected to their families and community after attending LEAD programs.
“As we celebrate five years of our work, we continue to see tremendous results with a 16%
increase in our girls doing well in school, a 15% increase in self-reported respect for themselves, and 94% reporting that they are more motivated to do good things,” says Joy Nelson Thomas, Founder and Executive Director. “Additionally, we have seen significant improvements in self-reported communication skills. For example, our girls had a 48% decrease (from pre-LEAD to post-LEAD) in giving in to peer pressure. Additionally, there was a 20% increase (from pre-LEAD to post-LEAD) in self-advocacy and peer-advocacy. Still, we want to do more and we need your help.”
As LEAD helps girls find the path to success, we invite our community to help ensure that LEAD’s programming can continue to help girls like Nicole. We hope you will participate in LEAD’s virtual LEAD-A-THON fundraiser from May 1 – 8, 2021, where participants will walk, run, swim, or bicycle – and track their progress. Funds raised will help alleviate barriers and empower the over 250 girls we serve annually. LEAD will offer three Pop Up events during the week featuring experts about wellness – all designed to encourage participants to Choose a Path and Move for HER.
Sponsors will reach hundreds of donors and other LEAD Girls’ fans while also engaging 250 community members and 100+ LEAD Girls and their families. Confirmed sponsors for 2021 are Champion, Forsyth Woman, Yes Weekly!, and Garner Foods.
2020 marked the first year of this virtual event, spearheaded by Reynolds American Women’s Employee Resource Group. They successfully engaged participants from all over the country to support LEAD Girls and our mission. They will join us again this year, and you can, too! Help us reach our $20,000 goal with this LEAD Girl event and Move For HER.
To register visit leadgirls.org/lead-a-thon.