Empower a Middle School Girl

November 2022

Greetings Friends of 4GIRLS Organization,

We hope you are enjoying these cooler days of Fall, as we officially enter the holiday season.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the festivities of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa are swiftly approaching.  Before long, we will experience the wishes and opportunities of a brand new year. 

The annual 4GIRLS “Noche Para Las Ninas” Gala was back after a 2-year hiatus due to the Pandemic.  We held the event on Friday, November 4^th in Long Beach, where there was a Mexican-themed dinner, dancing, live and silent auctions, a “Wine Pull”, Face Painting and Photo Booth, live entertainment by Folklorico dancers, and opportunity baskets for the 87 guests in attendance.  We celebrated our accomplishments in 2022 and raised nearly $30,000 for the organization to use for 2023 workshops, events, and scholarships.  Our guest speaker was a tenth-grade student who has participated all three years as a middle schooler, and was a junior mentor at the workshop this year.  She is grateful for the opportunities and knowledge she has gained and has co-founded a 4GIRLS club at her high school.

The events in 2022 included our first in-person Workshop since 2019 in March, followed by a Self Defense Empowerment Event hosted by “The Power of One”.  We then facilitated another Unstoppable Transitional Workshop for girls entering Middle School, a first-time endeavor that was very successful and will become a signature annual event for 4GIRLS.  Our next 4GIRLS Empowerment Event will be participation in the Belmont Shore Holiday Parade where we will have middle school girl participants and high school junior mentors sharing the power of words and spreading the news about the opportunities offered through the 4GIRLS organization.  It has been called the best kept secret in Long Beach and we aim to change that by getting the word out.

As we look ahead to next year, we begin planning our Annual (two-day) Workshop March 11^th and 12^th to inspire and empower middle school girls to identify themselves as authentic, confident, and resilient.  The word selected for the 2023 workshop is STRONG, and we will build the lessons, activities, and presentations around that theme.  Being strong means “being able to handle great force or pressure,” which is something we all experience from time to time.  It is our goal to equip our middle school girls with the resilience and confidence to see it through.

Enjoy the season, stay well, and know that your support is appreciated more than ever.  We thank you for all you do to keep 4GIRLS Organization operating to improve the lives of our girls, their families, and the communities in which they live.

Sincerely,

The 4GIRLS Board of Directors