South Florida foundation empowering thousands of young girls through education, mentorship, community support
For 25 years, the Embrace Girls Foundation has been helping young girls across South Florida succeed in the classroom and beyond.
The non-profit continues to empower thousands of students through education, mentorship, and community support.
"We are a year a year-round program, and so immediately after school, every single day during the school year, we have classrooms that they come into," said Velma Lawrence, the founder and CEO of The Embrace Girls Foundation. "We have certified teachers and teaching assistants that assist them with their homework."
Lawrence grew up in Liberty City and said she wanted to create experiences for young girls she didn't have as a child.
"I just wanted to give them an opportunity to see the world, because we travel with them, to experience various cultures because we do that, and to primary understand that their education is the key," she said.
The Embrace Girls Foundation also offers pop-up camps at schools in South Florida from Homestead to Dania Beach.
"If they don't have self-confidence, they're not going to raise their hand in class, they're not going to stand up for themselves, they're not going to advocate for a friend," Lawrence said. "And so today we talked about self-confidence and self-esteem and loving yourself."
The foundation has impacted more than 10,000 girls, including Ariel Rucker. She joined the program in third grade and now mentors the next generation.
"Her purpose of empowering girls has made me find my purpose of empowering other girls. And I see myself in these other girls," Rucker said.
For Lawrence, the mission extends beyond academics.
"We're not just an afterschool program," Lawrence said. "We are watching, daily, quarterly what these girls are doing, and then what's needed in the family and then what the school needs."
A mission that's empowered thousands of young girls and continues to shape future generations across South Florida.